Baikunthpur: With district administration leaving no stone unturned to declare Sonhat tehsil of the district open defecation free (ODF) before the scheduled visit of chief minister to the block on May 3, 2016, toilets being constructed under Clean India campaign in Korea district of north Chhattisgarh appears to be an eyewash.
According to sources all the masons available in the district headquarters and surround areas have been pressed into service to construct toilets in all 130 villages of Sonhat tehsil. Officers of various departments have been posted in panchayats of Sonhat and district level officers are busy supervising constructions and and recording their numbers. All other development works in the district have come to a standstill. A number of nagar palika CMOs and doctors too are asked to be present at toilet construction sites in various villages of Sonhat tehsil, while top officials are regularly camping in Sonhat, Kotadol, Devsil, Amritdhara, Ramgarh and other places. Efforts of the district administration appears to be aimed at getting Sonhat tehsil ODF and they are not bothered about is quality. Toilets that were constructed in the past, are hardly being used by beneficiaries due to poor quality construction.
Sources claimed majority of village panchayats of Sonhat tehsil grabbed the Nirmal Gram awards by carrying out works on papers only. Toilets constructed then, which are not being used by the villagers, now have been repainted.
On the other hand situation at the district headquarter Baikunthpur is an eye opener. Out of more than 50 toilets constructed at Jampara on the outskirts of the township not a single is being used by the beneficiaries. Reason is faulty design and extremely poor quality of construction.Walls of most of these toilets can crumble down any time while and soak pits of many of these toilets have begun to collapse even before the toilets were used. Another manor reason behind the beneficiaries avoiding to use these toilets is that none are being fitted with a door. Since most of the beneficiaries are extremely poor they can not afford to buy a door for it.
District authorities, when contacted agreed that the toilets are a little too congested. On the question of the toilets being without a door, they said that the beneficiaries can always put up a curtain. None of the officials, however, were ready to come on record.
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