Sirsa tops with 202 open defecation-free villages

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 4

By making 202 out of 357 villages open defecation-free (ODF) and with the construction of 11,552 household toilets, Sirsa has become number one district of Haryana in the Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural).

With its 164 villages out of 236 becoming ODF, Gurgaon is at number two position, while Yamunanagar is at number three with 169 out of its 612 villages becoming open defecation-free.

“We have set a target of making the rest of 132 villages ODF in May,” said Sharandeep Kaur Brar, Deputy Commissioner, Sirsa.

She said that under the ‘Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyaan,’ gram sabhas of all villages of the district had passed resolution for making their villages open defecation-free.

“Vigilance Committees have been set by villagers who keep a vigil in the morning as well as in the evening to shame those who try to defecate in the open,” she said.

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, all teachers, village secretaries, sarpanches, panchs, anganwari workers, ANMs, safai karamcharis and other staff have been imparted training by the authorities.

Announcements are being made from public address systems installed at religious places to create awareness on sanitation.

Even in schools, children are being made aware of the ill effects of open defecation, the DC said.

She said separate toilets had been constructed for boys and girls in all schools and anganwaris of the district.

She urged villagers to get their household toilets constructed so that no one has to defecate in the open.