With the Government setting up a stiff deadline of making all the
urban areas Open Defecation Free (ODF) in the next few months, some
municipal bodies are to cross the goal-line this month itself. About 35
urban local bodies across the State out of the 72 are to be declared ODF
soon.

Commissioner and Director of Municipal Administration T.K.
Sreedevi said that rest of urban local bodies (ULBs) would be ODF before
the Telangana Formation Day of June 2 as an action plan has been set in
place for completing toilet construction including conversion of
insanitary toilets.

“Half the population of Telangana lives in
urban areas and there is an imperative need to make provision for
toilets as open defecation – whether due to lack of awareness or
attitudinal issues, is an obvious health hazard causing several
communicable diseases and stunted growth among children. It also
pollutes surrounding water bodies and air,” she pointed out.

Open
defecation in Telangana urban is 8.38 % as compared to the national
average of 12.6 %. Of the target of 1.64 lakh individual toilets and
conversion of 52,567 insanitary ones; 69,613 and 6,178, respectively,
have been completed. For public toilets, the target of 3,602, 2484 were
done while for community toilets 1032 of 1297 were done.

About 12
ULBs are already ODF – Huzurabad, Jagityal, Huzurnagar, Suryapet,
Gajwel, Siddipet, Madhira, Sattupalli, Achampet, Shadnagar, Bhongir and
Ibrahimpatnam. About 18 are under the pipeline of doing so as works are
in different stages and nine more are in the finishing stage.

Among
these are – Korutla, Badangpet, Medchal, Boduppal, Peerzadiguda,
Jalpally, Meerpet, Pedda Amberpet, Narsampet, Husnabad, Vemulavada,
Kalwakurthy, Metpalli, Sadasivapet, Sircilla, Jilleguda and
Nagarkurnool.

Ten best performing in remaining ULBs are: Armoor,
Dubbaka, Bhainsa, Peddapallim Kollapur, Wanaparty, Manuguru, Mandamarri,
Mancherial, Miryalguda. Bottom 10 are: Kamareddy, Khammam, Ramagundam,
Warangal, Nirmal, Mahbubabad, Mahabubnagar, Nizamabad, Vikarabad and
Andol-Jogipet.

Earlier, addressing a gathering of municipal
officers, women self-help groups, sanitary workers and others at a
one-day workshop to sensitise stakeholders on the mission, Dr. Sreedevi
wanted municipal commissioners to ensure toilets are constructed,
sanitation is maintained and there are no encroachments as it would lead
to investments.

The Minister for Municipal
Administration, K.T. Rama Rao, was very particular about the completion
of the project within the time frame decided.

Commissioners were also told to tone up their websites and make them dynamic.