Miscreants may foil civic effort to earn open defecation-free tag

Navi Mumbai: The civic body is leaving no stone unturned to ensure

open defecation

-free status for the city while miscreants are not missing many opportunities, specially at nights, to stymie its effort by damaging and stealing from public toilets.

The civic officials are trying to ensure that community and public toilets in NMMC jurisdiction are repaired, cleaned and maintained properly to impress the central Open Defecation Free (ODF) team and subsequently, the Swachh Survekhsan sqaud that will be visiting the city soon. NMMC is aiming for ODF double plus tag this year.

In ODF++ valuation, a number of facilities have been made mandatory including availability of sanitary napkins in the ladies toilets, exhaust fans, proper lighting, wash basin, hand wash or liquid soap, separate urinals for kids, ramps for the physically challenged and elderly citizens among others.

However, miscreants have been frustrating the effort of the civic teams by damaging the toilets. Civic officials have been instructed to start work as early as 5am.

“As the ODF team is likely to visit the city this week we have intensified cleaning campaign and monitoring all public and community toilets to ensure that everything is in place for better grading in ODF survey. I have been overseeing all areas with concerned officials. We found some toilets damaged by miscreants in the night time despite our effort,” said NMMC commissioner Ramaswami N.

Several damaged toilets have been reported from various wards in the absence of CCTV and security guards. A civic official on field duty at Digha and Airoli said the miscreants stole all 125 pieces of the sanitary napkins kept on Wednesday at Digha toilets.

Meanwhile, officials are making rounds of the open defecation prone stretches and visiting the vast expanse along railway tracks, slum pockets and other open spaces. Civic staff are busy repairing toilets and fixing water connections, lighting on war footing. Contractors have been summoned to check all fittings at the toilets. Besides, clean-up drives are being held for the Swachh Survekshan as well.

The ODF team will inspect private and civic run schools besides slum areas and village pockets where individual latrine have been installed on government funds

The delay in entrusting maintenance responsibility to contractors for better upkeep of the public property has added to the woes. “ We will finalise the comprehensive contact system to maintain the toilets. Residents should be responsible and not damage public property,” said Tushar Pawar, NMMC deputy commissioner.