Guna (Madhya Pradesh): We all saw the introductory scene of Raghubir Yadav aka Brij Bhushan Dubey, the Pradhan-Pati of Phulera village in season 1 of the web series Panchayat where he went to defecate in the open even though he has a toilet in his home and Phulera village has been declared open defecation free (ODF).
Jhagar village in Guna district witnessed a similar scene on Friday morning when the newly elected sarpanch of the village was caught moving towards the agriculture field to defecate in the open with a plastic can in her hand even though the village was declared ODF about eight years back.
Meanwhile, unlike Pradhan-Pati of Phulera village, sarpanch Kamlabai has a reason to follow the age-old practice. When a villager asked her if her actions could sabotage the Swachh Bharat Mission in the village, she claimed that she has to follow the old practice as there is no toilet at her home.
Kamlabai revealed that the former sarpanch had not approved the toilet, due to which she was forced to defecate in the open.
However, when the video of the sarpanch reached the Bamori janpad CEO Rakesh Sharma, he reached the spot to inspect it and ordered to construction toilet at her place within the next eight days.
Jhagar gram panchayat secretary Azad Singh Kirar confirmed the sanction of construction of a toilet in the house of sarpanch Kamla Bai within the next eight days.
Kirar said that the administration has approved the toilet for her residence. He admitted that the sarpanch's video has gone viral and even he too got this video.
Narrating her plight Kamlabai revealed that she still lives in a kutcha house with her younger son Durgaprasad. When her four sons leave the village every morning to do wages, the 20-member family of the sarpanch is forced to retire in the open.
Sarpanch Kamalabai also admitted that she belongs to the Sahariya caste, but in the past, she has not sanctioned a toilet, due to which she goes to open defecation every day.
10% of houses without toilets
Jhagar gram panchayat secretary Azad Singh Kirar said that the gram panchayat has been declared ODF in the year 2014, but even today more than 10 per cent of houses do not have toilets, but toilets will be constructed soon. Out of 400 houses in this panchayat, 350 have toilets.
On the other hand, Mangal Sahariya, elder son of sarpanch Kamlabai, told that his mother lives with younger brother Durgaprasad in a kutcha house, which does not have a toilet. He added that in his family as many as 10 children along with brother Mangilal, Hari Ram, and father Sintu go to open fields for defecation. If we get a toilet at our place, why would we go to other places for defecation? He asked.
