Highlights
- Out of 22 districts, eleven have already been declared ODF
- 80 ULBs have been divided into 15 groups for better solid waste management
- So far 20,918 toilets have already been constructed
New Delhi: From girls in Haryana passing a ‘No Toilet, No Bride’ resolution to women sarpanches marching forward to raise awareness about cleanliness and sanitation, Haryana has been actively working towards becoming completely Open Defecation Free (ODF). Now, the state government has announced that all 80 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the state will be open defecation free by October 2. Not just that, the government will also focus on other swachh issues like solid waste management.
The 80 Urban Local Bodies have been divided into 15 groups for better solid waste management. Out of those 12 will follow the ‘waste-to-compost’ mantra while three will follow the ‘waste-to-energy’ strategy.
The target was discussed in a meeting of senior Union Urban Development officials led by Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Haryana’s Chief Secretary D S Dhesi.
Since the announcement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Mission, Haryana’s civic bodies have received more than one lakh applications for the construction of individual household toilets as per a report in PTI.
Also Read: 10,000 Toilets In 100 Hours: Vizianagaram’s Swachh Miracle
So far 20,918 toilets have already been constructed and the construction of more 57,758 toilets is in the pipeline.
Additionally 1,639 community or public toilets out of 5,399 applications have been built.
The Haryana government has initiated many state-wide schemes and programs to spread the Swachh Bharat message. For instance, a week-long event titled ‘Swacch Shakti Saptah’ was held last month to mark International Women’s Day and raise awareness on women’s hygiene and cleanliness. 1500 women sarpanches from across the state participated.
The state also observes ‘Samudayik Swachhta Diwas’ on the second Saturday of every month where people devote one hour to cleaning government offices, educational institutes and other public places.
Out of 22 districts, eleven have already been declared ODF. These include Gurugram, Panipat, Jhajjar, Faridabad, Panchkula, Sirsa, Hisar, Fatehabad, Bhiwani Yamunanagar and Kurukshetra.
(With inputs from PTI)
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