Government school toilets await water connections

Shyam Sood

Rajouri, February 11

Toilet blocks which were constructed in government schools under the Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat–Swachh Vidyalaya mission in Rajouri district are still waiting for water connections.

Students in most of the schools still go for open defecation due to no water piplelines. The Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department has yet to provide water connections in these schools.

Chief Education Officer (CEO), Rajouri, said 2,512 toilets were constructed in Rajouri district at a cost of Rs 1,239.40 lakh under the Swachh Bharat, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

Out of 2,512 toilets, 493 toilet blocks have been constructed under the Swachh Bharat, Swachh Vidyalaya initiative which includes 113 for girls and 380 for boys.

“Most of the toilet blocks have been made functional, but the department is facing financial crunch to maintain cleanliness in these blocks as the government has made no arrangements to appoint employees to clean these toilets,” said the CEO.

The Ministry of Human Resources has decided to appoint employees and pay Rs 500 per month for cleaning toilets where water is not available, and Rs100 per month where water is available.

The need for providing separate toilets for boys and girls in all government schools was noted by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Human Resource Development started the initiative Swachh Vidyalaya for the same.