Sambalpur: The muncipal corporation has taken up a massive programme to help people of the city to construct more than 17,000 household toilets with the intention to make the corporation open-defecation free.

"We have already given work orders for construction of 12,600 household toilets. We have sought the applications from people to construct personal toilets at their houses," commissioner Bimalendu Rai told The Telegraph.

The corporation is providing Rs 8,000 cash with technical support to the BPL-category people, women heads of family and ration card holders. He said the people were coming forward to co-operate with the corporation to make the town clean.

Apart from this, the corporation is helping the common people with financial assistance of Rs 6,700 to build toilets. According to the survey report, 17,499 families in the corporation area have no toilets of their own.

To make the town open-defecation free, the corporation for the last three years had constructed 50 community toilets in various parts of the town. Another 15 community toilets are being built, Rai said. As the people living in the Mahanadi river bed areas were used to defecate out in the open, the corporation has constructed eight community toilets for them.

With the municipal corporation celebrating Municipal Day on Friday, Sambalpur MLA opened two community toilets, a park in the name of the famous poet Bhima Bhoi at Shantinagar, laid foundation stones for three fitness centres in Sambalpur town and a vending zone in Hirakud.

The corporation used leaflets, audio propaganda and street plays to educate people to give up their habits of open defecation. The district administration organised a mini-marathan on the ring road along the Mahanadi bank to spread the message of "clean and green Sambalpur".

More than 3,000 students from various schools and colleges took part in the 3.5km run on April 22. On top of this, the district administration sought the help of Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) and announced an imposition of a fine of Rs 200 on anyone found defecating out in the open.

The civic body has taken up a massive plan for beautification of Mahanadi river bed with lighting of LED light and construction of parks and view points with an estimated expenditure of Rs 9.14 crore.