Highlights
- Swachhta Dals consists of 12 members- six men and as many women.
- The squads are established in every village under the development block
- 12,000 villages have become Open Defecation Free in Chhattisgarh
Raipur: ‘Swachhata dals’ or vigilance squads comprising villagers are keeping a regular watch to ensure there is no open defecation in a development block in Chhattisgarh’s Sarguja district. The ‘swachhata dals’ set up in every villages in Batauli, an open defecation free (ODF) development block in the district, will blow a whistle whenever they spot someone reliving themselves in the open and also impose a fine on them.
“Our village has been declared open defecation free (ODF) with the efforts of the Panchayat and villagers. To maintain that status, regular monitoring and inspection is necessary,” said Phulkanwar Singh, Sarpanch of Birimkela village panchayat under Batauli block.
Ms. Phulkunwar was in Raipur yesterday under the ‘Hamar Chhattisgarh Scheme’ of the state government under which panchayat representatives are taken on a study tour of various places, particularly the state capital, to make them aware of the achievements of the ruling BJP government.
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She said that the 12-member Swachhta Dals comprise six men and as many women.
The squads are established in every village under the development block.
They are tasked with the responsibility to ensure that no one defecates in open.
On the tenth of every month, these teams hold a meeting to review the sanitation status of their respective areas. It was not easy to curb open defecation. The initiative to stop this was undertaken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Swachhta Abhiyan‘ and called upon people to support the mission, she said.
The vigilance teams have been given a blue uniform so that they can be easily identified.
The team conducts regular inspection and if they catch anyone defecating in open, they blow whistle.
On the direction of village panchayat, a fine of Rs500 is recovered from those who do not use toilets to relive themselves, she said, adding that the recovered penalty is deposited in the Panchayat fund.
As per the data of the state’s Panchayat and Rural Development department, over 12,000 villages have become ODF in Chhattisgarh, which is expecting to achieve the target of becoming an ODF state by October 2, 2018.
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