Open defecation still haunts Chamarajanagara district

Chamarajanagara: Known as one of the most backward districts socially and economically in the State, Chamarajanagara has another dubious distinction. Open defecation continues to be practised in many parts of the district. Though it was declared free from open defecation in 2018, lack of basic infrastructure has ushed the district back to degradation.

In most villages and towns in the district, people use open spaces beside lakes and canals for defecating as they say there are no community toilets. After the Union government launched Swatch Bharat Abhiyan throughout the country, the district has witnessed much progress. Officials constructed 78,000 personal toilets in 2018-19, which is a record.

ZP officials claim they have constructed 1.63 toilets in the district in the last five years. This year they plan to build 1,869 toilets.

Under a government scheme, people get Rs 12,000 as subsidy

for construction of a toilet by each family. The subsidy amount is Rs 15,000 if beneficiaries are from SC/ST community. Poor people are facing shortage of space to construct personal toilets. So, they depend on public toilets.

Nanjunda Swamy of Hosamole village in Chamarajanagara taluk said that officials should speed up releasing subsidy

amount. The poor hesitant to construct toilets if subsidy amount is delayed. He said officials should conduct door-to-door survey and identify household without toilets and create awareness among people. Speaking to The Hans India, Rajest, a native of Hangala village in Gundlupet taluk, attributed rampant open defecation to many gram panchayats' failure to supply sufficient water to public toilets.

Zilla Parishad CEO K M Gayathri told The Hans India that it came to her notice that five public toilets in Chamarajanagara town are yet to be open for public use. In Hanur, construction of 30 toilets are under progress.