HP to put an end to public urination

As Himachal Pradesh heads towards better sanitation and declare the state Open Defecation Free (ODF), the next gram sabha meetings in all 3,243 panchayats slated for April 1,has ‘water and sanitation’ as the top issues on its agenda. The gram sabha meetings will be followed-up by a four-day special awareness drive to engage the local community,school children,panchayat activists and NGOs in spreading the message of safe and clean living.

R N Batta,director of Rural and Panchayati Raj development said: “We have listed more than half a dozen agenda items for the gram sabha meeting,which has a theme – Health,water and sanitation. The agenda is designed to scale-up sanitation campaign and take steps to prevent outbreak of water-borne diseases during the monsoon season.”

All those panchayats — which are not yet declared as ODF or where the surveys have shown that house-holds still do not have toilets,will work-out strategies to achieve the targets. There is also the issue of community toilets – as migrant labourers do not have the facility of toilets. The third issue pertains to school sanitation. All three issues will be deliberated in the gram sabhas.

During the special public awareness drive,the panchayats will be debating issue of men urinating in the open. “This is a problem which the panchayats have started realising is dirty habit as more villages are becoming ODF. Even spitting at public places is being covered under the drive,” said Jairam Thakur,Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.

Other issues taken-up in the campaign covers strategies on solid and liquid waste management at panchayat levels and free health check-ups. The Deputy Commissioners have been advised by the government to send detailed reports to the government after the gram sabha meeting and four-day special sanitation campaign.