Just at a time when governments, both at the State and Centre, are taking initiatives against open defecation, Sattari taluka and Valpoi in particular paint a very grim picture of government's intentions. There are 1,778 people in Sattari who have been waiting for almost a year to get their subsidised toilets approved. The cost of these pending toilets is pegged at Rs 5.16 crore. While these figures pour in, there is also a survey being conducted by the Directorate of Panchayats along with the District Rural Development Agency to understand the sanitation facilities in panchayat areas across the State. The data is expected to be compiled by December to ensure that toilet facilities are available in every Goan household. This sounds convincing on paper, but on the ground a different picture emerges.
Several calls for a survey of toilets built in Sattari taluka, since 1985, to ascertain their condition have fallen on deaf ears. It's a known fact that the subsidised toilets provided under Sulabh Shauchalaya scheme are of substandard material and are rendered nonfunctional over a period of time. The very fact that several people from Shelpe village in Sattari taluka fell ill due to contamination of water should have sent the alarm bells ringing. Medical tests of patients had revealed shigella bacteria as the root cause for the ailments. Open defecation and poor toilet facilities were then identified as reasons for people falling sick. A Rs 2 cr project proposal to provide treated water to villages of Shingne, Naneli and Shelpe is good news, but surprisingly, there is no word yet on toilet facilities.
This brings into sharp focus the government's recent initiative to conduct a survey. Merely conducting surveys will not help in eradicating open defecation. While the survey is on, the government should also seriously review the Sulabh Shauchalayas scheme. There have been instances where the free toilets have not been functional and have been reduced to storerooms. Maintenance of the free toilets have been a major issue and panchayats are not equipped with staff for periodic troubleshooting. Government needs to work out a holistic plan of action and implement it quickly. Toilet facilities for every family across the State are basic requirements.
The ball is in the court of local MLA Vishwajit Rane. While there are ambitious plans initiated by Jr Rane elsewhere, including a multi-crore upgrade of facilities at GMC, the local MLA appears to have forgotten his own backyard. Or has he listed out his priorities where providing Sulabh Shauchalayas figures last. The local MLA should answer the people of Sattari on why their applications have not been approved so far. Is the government seriously thinking of wiping out open defecation, or are these talks and surveys just an eyewash?
Several calls for a survey of toilets built in Sattari taluka, since 1985, to ascertain their condition have fallen on deaf ears. It's a known fact that the subsidised toilets provided under Sulabh Shauchalaya scheme are of substandard material and are rendered nonfunctional over a period of time. The very fact that several people from Shelpe village in Sattari taluka fell ill due to contamination of water should have sent the alarm bells ringing. Medical tests of patients had revealed shigella bacteria as the root cause for the ailments. Open defecation and poor toilet facilities were then identified as reasons for people falling sick. A Rs 2 cr project proposal to provide treated water to villages of Shingne, Naneli and Shelpe is good news, but surprisingly, there is no word yet on toilet facilities.
This brings into sharp focus the government's recent initiative to conduct a survey. Merely conducting surveys will not help in eradicating open defecation. While the survey is on, the government should also seriously review the Sulabh Shauchalayas scheme. There have been instances where the free toilets have not been functional and have been reduced to storerooms. Maintenance of the free toilets have been a major issue and panchayats are not equipped with staff for periodic troubleshooting. Government needs to work out a holistic plan of action and implement it quickly. Toilet facilities for every family across the State are basic requirements.
The ball is in the court of local MLA Vishwajit Rane. While there are ambitious plans initiated by Jr Rane elsewhere, including a multi-crore upgrade of facilities at GMC, the local MLA appears to have forgotten his own backyard. Or has he listed out his priorities where providing Sulabh Shauchalayas figures last. The local MLA should answer the people of Sattari on why their applications have not been approved so far. Is the government seriously thinking of wiping out open defecation, or are these talks and surveys just an eyewash?
