Bhopal: The tag of ODF which Bhopal received recently for being an open defecation free city seems to be a lie because there are still many areas where residents are going in open to attend nature’s call. Several public toilets were installed by the municipal corporation but most of them are now either in bad shape or simply removed. The corporation had installed modular toilets at around 114 points in the city. It was observed that these toilets were mostly targeted at the residents of slums who generally opt to go for open defecation.
However, the civic body is withdrawing the toilets from these places which it feels has turned into open defecation free areas. There were around 1,800 such toilets installed at the points but most of them are removed and others will soon be shifted if corporation assumes the areas to be free from open defecation. Moreover, there are toilets which even lack basic facility such as water.
The reality is that there are areas in the city where slum dwellers have no other option and they are forced to defecate in open. Leader of opposition in municipal corporation Mohd Sageer said the civic officials had procured these toilets only to gain the ODF tag; otherwise they had no concrete base for getting the status. Alleging corruption in the purchase of these toilets, he said the toilets were of poor quality and were not durable but were purchased in comparatively higher rates.
The areas where the toilets were installed mostly included slum areas and now that the structures were being removed, the locals were again forced to defecate in open. The toilet installed in Bapu Nagar area corroborates the claim of Sageer as it is lying unmanaged and can’t be used for the purpose. The dilapidated structure of the toilet has dissuaded the locals from using it. The pipe of water connection from the tank is also lying severed. Assistant commissioner, municipal corporation, MP Singh said the toilets were being removed from such areas where the corporation felt they were not required anymore. “We have ascertained that these areas have now permanent toilets built in houses and there are also public toilets there,” he said.
