Toilets in Srinagar, Jammu show dismal picture
NL Correspondent
SRINAGAR: While Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat mission is building toilets across the country, the toilets under the jurisdiction of Srinagar and Jammu Municipal Corporations are showing dismal picture.
Narendra Modi has started the Swachh Bharat mission to make India open defecation free by 2019.
However, the Srinagar and Jammu are showing a dismal show in this regard so far.
Jammu and Srinagar were also ranked among the dirtiest districts in India by a recent survey.
The Housing and Urban Development Department J&K, has prepared a document ‘policy vision 2017' for improvisation of the sanitation system in the state.
“Many areas in J&K have defunct public toilets leaving people to defecate in the open. The community toilets are less than an attraction and stink from almost a quarter of a kilometer away,” it reads.
The HUDD in its document, says that SMC claims to have 78 functional public toilets in Srinagar. “However, on ground, the picture is dismal with many unusable public toilets that are inaccessible for the masses. Similarly a considerable number of public toilets in Jammu city are in a bad shape.”
In order to control the practice of open defecation, it has suggested that more public toilets need to be constructed. “J & K has an ambitious target of making the state open defecation free by 2019. But it only addresses the first component of the sanitation value chain. The pertinent issue of proper collection, conveyance, treatment and disposal of the faecal sludge/septage is likely to remain.”
Further it states that there was no dedicated facility for treatment and disposal of septage and faecal sludge in J & K.
While, a recently released survey Swachh Survekshan has ranked Srinagar at 241 positions in the list of cleanliest cities in the country, while as winter capital Jammu stood at 251st position, thus 10 ranks behind Srinagar in cleanness and other basic civic amenities.
The survey was carried out by the Quality Council of India, which had deployed 421 assessors for on the spot assessment of 17,500 locations in 434 cities and towns.
Another 55 people regularly monitored the survey process in real time. The criteria and weightage for different components of sanitation related aspects used for the survey were: Solid waste management including door-to-door collection, processing, and disposal, ODF (open defecation free) status. These carried 45 per cent of the total 2,000 marks. Citizen feedback – 30 per cent and independent observation – 25 per cent.
