Bhubaneswar: The housing and urban development department has issued a standard operating procedure for the civic body to declare the state capital free from open defecation by April 1.

According to the procedure, the department has asked the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation to conduct a survey to check that all households have individual toilets.

The households that do not should have access to a community toilet within a distance of at least 500 metres.

Besides, to stop people from defecating in the open, the housing and urban development department empowered the civic body to levy fines on those violating norms. The municipal corporation will also have to ensure that all commercial areas have public toilets within a distance of one kilometre.

"A declaration has to be obtained from all wards declaring respective municipal wards free from open defecation. All the wards of the city will have to make a self-declaration and submit the same to the civic body for verification. This decentralised process will ease the job," said an official of the housing and urban development department.

Each of the schools in the area should give a consent that they have access to toilets at schools or at home.

Once the declaration is done, a public announcement will be made and the people will get a fortnight's time to air their objections or grievances related to the open-defecation-free status.

After due procedure, the municipal corporation will upload the data on the Centre's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan website declaring the particular area free from open defecation and simultaneously the city in later stage.

"We have already appointed ward-level committee to check the availability of toilets. Accordingly, we will intensify the construction of household latrines. Slums will be our focus," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.