MARGAO
Margao Municipal Council’s notice warning the public not to defecate or urinate in the open within the municipal limits or face fines has stirred a hornet’s nest.
The notice has warned that open defecation will incur a fine of Rs 100 for the first offence and an incremental increase of Rs 100 for every subsequent offence. As far as urination in open spaces is concerned, the MMC has warned of a fine of Rs 50 for the first offence, which will be incrementally increased by Rs 50 for every subsequent offence.
The notice came in handy for opponents of Margao MLA Digambar Kamat to score some brownie points. Madgancho Awaaz leader Prabhav Naik asked whether the Margao Municipal Council, controlled by BJP MLA Digambar Kamat, is mocking Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s claim of an open defecation-free Goa.
“On November 19, 2021, the Chief Minister had claimed that with the constant efforts of PM Narendra Modi and BJP, Goa has achieved the target of 100 per cent Open Defecation Free State. Now, Margao Municipal Council, controlled by BJP MLA Digambar Kamat, issues a notice imposing fines for open defecation & urination in the municipal area. Looks like MMC is mocking CM Dr. Pramod Sawant's claim of 2021,” Prabhav said, while demanding to know the number of public toilets in Margao.
Margao Municipal officials, however, pointed out that the notice issued by the civic body is part of an exercise to seek renewal of the certificate from the Centre certifying that the city is Open Defecation Free.
“The MMC has plans to apply for the ODF-plus status from the Centre. The portal now stands open, and we will apply to the Centre for the ODF-plus status. The objective behind the notice is to carry out an exercise and file the details in the portal before representatives of the Centre visit the city to certify and grant ODF-plus status,” informed a senior MMC official.
The official further pointed out that the ODF status is not a one-time exercise, but the certificate needs to be renewed periodically. “After achieving the ODF-plus status, the MMC will next year go for ODF-Plus-Plus status. This is an ongoing exercise. There’s nothing wrong with the notice issued by the civic body,” the official added.
The official further informed that the MMC is presently working to renovate and refurbish the public toilets in the city as part of the same exercise. “We have already taken up over half a dozen public toilets for repairs and renovation through the PWD, and the work is being executed by Sulabh. The objective is to provide better sanitation amenities for the public,” the official added.
