BERHAMPUR: Open defecation, a community health hazard, remains a pertinent issue in Ganjam district. The district administration has been trying hard to check the menace but it continues in several areas including Aska block. In a bid to discourage people from defecating in the open, executive officer (EO) of Aska NAC Loknath Bej has adopted a novel approach.
Bej along with sanitary official Diptimayee Sahu has been presenting red roses to people found defecating in the open. The Aska EO, during his visit to Pakelapalli and Gandapalli within the NAC, offered roses to people who were found defecating in the open and urged them to use latrines in their homes or public toilets.
“Creating awareness and keeping all public toilets clean is our priority,” he said. Bej’s initiative has started yielding results and the roads at Pakelapalli and Gandapalli have become cleaner than before. “We will cover all wards of the NAC in the future,” said the EO.