Swachh Bharat Mission yet to take off in Bengal, Bihar, Assam

The other states and UTs, found to be lagging in construction of toilets under the Centre’s flagship sanitation programme are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Nagaland, according to a senior Union Urban Development Ministry official.

Besides, according to the UD Ministry data, 10 states and Union Territories are still to start processing of solid waste, an essential component of the ‘Clean India’ drive. These are Assam, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Daman <g data-gr-id="24">amd</g> Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Jharkhand, Nagaland, <g data-gr-id="25">Sikkikm</g>, Tripura and West Bengal.

Taking a serious view of the lack of initiative on the part of these states and UTs, Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has directed the Ministry officials to convey the concerns of the Ministry to the representatives of these states/UTs to find out reasons for the same and to ensure necessary momentum.

<g data-gr-id="27">Swachh</g> Bharat Mission’s targets in urban areas include construction of 1.04 crore individual household toilets, over 5 lakh community and public toilet seats and 100 <g data-gr-id="28">per cent</g> door-to-door collection of solid waste, its transportation and disposal, to be achieved by the year 2019.

The mission in urban areas is being implemented at a cost of Rs 62,009 crore.

Bihar has been given Rs 8.14 <g data-gr-id="30">cr</g> for construction of toilets out of the total grant of Rs 37.72 <g data-gr-id="31">cr</g> while West Bengal has got Rs 21 <g data-gr-id="32">cr</g> for toilets out of total Rs 64 <g data-gr-id="33">cr</g> grant under the mission.

According to the ministry data, for Kerala, Rs 16.6 <g data-gr-id="40">cr</g> has been allocated for toilet purpose out of the total Rs 19.18 <g data-gr-id="41">cr</g>, and Rs 4 <g data-gr-id="42">cr</g> has been allocated to Jharkhand out of its total Rs 15 <g data-gr-id="43">cr</g> grant under the drive. Assam has got Rs 20 lakh out of total Rs 23 lakh under the mission. Over four lakh individual household toilets have been constructed in urban areas of the country since the launch of <g data-gr-id="44">Swachh</g> Bharat Mission in October last year, according to the official. 

Apart from 4,35,805 toilets constructed in urban areas till July this year, 22,419 toilet seats were made available and the number of municipal wards reporting 100 per cent door-to-door collection of municipal solid waste was also increasing. Delhi has reported waste generation of 8,590 tonnes per day and processed 52 <g data-gr-id="46">per cent</g> of it during the last month as against the target of 75 per cent for March next year.