HUBBALLI: Siachen braveheart late Lance Naik Hanumantappa Koppad’s village Betadur in Kundagol taluk witnessed an unique programme on Sunday. As many as 101 toilets were built there in a span of 12 hours.
The village which has 1,030 houses, of which 800 have individual toilets. As many as 101 toilets were built as part of the ‘Swacchta Hi Seva’ programme being observed from September 17 to October 2 under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The remaining houses which lack individual toilets will have the facility by October 2, said the Zilla Panchayat officials.
Pits and toilet seats for the purpose were readied a few days ago. Walls of the toilets were constructed with interlocking bricks and roof sheets were installed on Sunday. Water tanks were fitted atop the toilets.
Union Minister of State for Skill Development Anant Kumar Hegde formally inaugurated the construction work. Addressing the villagers, he said the Union Government is spending Rs 600 crore every year towards the treatment of people who fall sick due to spreading of germs following open defecation. He called upon villagers to construct toilets in their houses and avoid open defecation.
MP Prahlad Joshi said the Union Government is giving an incentive of Rs 12,000 each for construction of toilets for general category people and Rs 15,000 for those belonging to SC/ST categories. The villagers have to make use of the facility, he stressed.
Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Snehal R said Dharwad district will be made open defecation-free by October 2. The district has 1.44 lakh households and out of which, 1.20 lakh households have individual toilets. Work order has already been given to construct the remaining 13,000 toilets, she said.
Both Hegde and Joshi visited the house of Hanumantappa Koppad and had a brief chat with the family members. Prior to that, the took part in a cleanliness drive organised as part of the Seva Diwas on the premises of a primary health centre at Sadar Sofa in Hubballi. Zilla Panchayat president Chaitra Shirur and vice-president Shivanand Karigar were present.