Open urination in P’kula MC limits to cost Rs 500

Rajinder Nagarkoti 

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, February 18

Cracking the whip on defaulters, who pee in the open in Panchkula, the civic body has started issuing challans. Under the ‘Open Defecation Free’ drive, officials of the Municipal Corporation have started issuing challans of Rs 500 each to those who are found relieving themselves in the public. 

The MC has issued a total of 257 challans, including 16 for urinating in the open, 21 for littering and 220 challans for open defecation. 

Panchkula Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal said to control the problem of open urination in Panchkula, they had installed temporary toilet blocks, one each for male and female, at roundabouts. They have also installed such blocks in colonies and villages, where open defecation and urination is a major problem, he said. 

The MC had recently roped in transgenders to spread awareness against open defecation. The MC team had engaged five transgenders, including students of Panjab University, and they were paid Rs 500 each per day. Transgenders sang songs, such as “Hum bhool gaye har baat, magar bahar h***a na bhoole”, to embarrass the violators. They even danced for the violators and welcomed them with claps and rose sticks.

Problem areas 

The Panchkula Municipal Corporation has identified sites prone to open defecation in the district. These areas include Gandhi Colony, Rajiv Colony, Budanpur and Sector 19. Besides, there are some areas in Kalka and Pinjore as well. The Municipal Corporation  is providing adequate toilets in these areas to tackle the problem. The city was declared open-defecation free in 2017.