VELLORE:The District Rural Development Agency has taken a first-of-its kind initiative to launch a year-long Intensive Sanitation Drive to make 69 villages ‘clean and green’ to mark the 69th year of Independence. The drive was launched by the district collector, R Nanthagopal, while chairing a Grama Sabha Meeting held in Melakuppam hill village in Arcot block on Saturday during the Independence Day celebrations.
Dr Manohar Singh, project director of DRDA, said that the main objective is to raise the profile of sanitation in the villages with focus on prioritising health and hygiene.“We also want to promote best practices and approaches towards accelerating sanitation coverage in rural areas by mobilising support from various departments, village heads, elected representatives and media towards achieving the goal,” he added.
Households requiring toilets in the 69 villages will be identified this week and work-orders will be issued to begin construction. The government will meet the cost of Rs 12,000 per toilet and people need not spend money on this project. By the time we celebrate the next Independence Day, “we would have made these 69 villages ‘open-defecation free,” he added.
As part of the drive, a mass tree-plantation programme will also be launched in each of these villages. 69 children from each of these villages will be planting trees and will be motivated to nurture emotional attachment to trees planted by them. The actual maintenance will be done by the village panchayat under the NREGS. The second part of the drive would focus on solid waste management that would involve mass cleaning of streets, public buildings, schools and water tanks by involving locals, members of Self Help Groups, youth and civic society representatives.
During the week, a student action forum will be launched to involve school and college students to participate in the ongoing sanitation movement in the district. Each student will be exposed to sanitation issues and they will be encouraged to submit innovative ideas in design, technology and usage of individual household latrines. Best performing schools and colleges in this regard will receive prizes during Independence Day celebrations next year. The drive will also encourage institutions and business enterprises in the district to come forward to adopt villages for qualitative implementation of the sanitation programmes. Members of the SHGs, Village Poverty Reduction committees, panchayat-level federations will be brought under one umbrella to achieve this goal.
An orientation programme will also be organized for the public representatives from the district panchayat council, 20 blocks, 743 villages, 13 assembly and 2 LS constituencies and media representatives in the district.