MARGAO
A day after the government decided that the 50-seater toilet block at the Cutbona fishing jetty should be used free of cost by migrant crew workers, Sulabh International put up boards at the facility confirming that the toilets and bathrooms can now be used without charges.
The free use of the sanitation block began on Tuesday, a day ahead of the visit by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Fisheries Minister Nilkhanth Halarnkar, who are scheduled to inaugurate the toilets and lay the foundation stone for a sewage treatment plant (STP) at the jetty.
The STP was proposed last year after a cholera outbreak at the Cutbona jetty. However, the project has faced delays for several months.
In the meantime, Sulabh had suggested using night soil tankers to move sewage from the toilet block. Although the toilets are fitted with a soak pit, it has become ineffective due to the high water table in the area.
While Sulabh International has followed the government’s order to allow free use for migrant workers, doubts remain about how the government will compensate the agency for the regular cleaning and maintenance of the toilets.
