Bhubaneswar, July 11: The civic body has expedited the toilet construction and restoration work here as the Union government has rescheduled the deadline for urban local bodies to achieve the "Open Defecation Free" (ODF) tag by October 2.
The change in the deadline made by the Union government on July 1 also came with a direction that the civic bodies should take immediate steps to identify the "insanitary" latrines and take immediate effort to convert them into sanitary ones. It also stated that the ongoing toilet construction must be expedited.
"We have received the direction from the Union government and have already deputed our Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Cell officials to identify the facilities in need of restoration. The zonal officers have also been asked to monitor the toilet construction in their jurisdiction," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) operates about 65 public and community toilets while 85 more are about to come up soon. The city administration is in the process of constructing 26 community toilets and 27 public toilets under Project Samman and another 32 hybrid toilets under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation.
"The urban sanitation scenario will change after completion of all the toilet projects. The new project will double the number of such facilities in the city. We will not have to take much effort to restore the existing toilets since many of them are in good condition. But, we will take the survey as directed and complete the job," said Jena.
In May, the civic body came up with a specific design for the toilets. According to the design, the toilets should have accessibility to cesspool emptier, there should be provision of ramp for differently-abled persons, provision of adequate ventilation and the flooring should be anti-skid.
Sources said the new survey would be taken up considering the design of the toilet and given the restoration touches considering all aspects. "We will assess the condition of the toilets and construct or repair over-head water tanks, separate entrance for male and females, provide waste bins among others," said a civic official.
