HYDERABAD: Despite health hazards, despite PM’s pitch for sanitation for all, around 70,000 households in Greater Hyderabad limits, mostly in peripheral areas, do not have individual toilets.
GHMC officials told Express that a survey is underway under the supervision of assistant medical officers of health (AMOHs) and deputy municipal commissioners (DMC), The survey report would be submitted within 10 days and an action plan will be formulated for construction of individual household toilets (IHT) as well as community toilets at the earliest.
The DMCs of all circles in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) have been asked to identify the beneficiaries by the month-end for construction of toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).
Officials added that as per the Samagra Kutumba Survey conducted by the Telangana government last year, about 70,000 households, mostly living in slums and open areas, do not have IHTs and these residents relieve themselves in open places, nalas or nearby railway tracks causing health hazards.
In many of the unauthorised colonies, notified or non-notified slums in GHMC limits, people are defecating in the open due to lack of individual toilets.
The GHMC has provided application forms for construction of IHTs in all the GHMC circles. People who want individual toilets can fill up the application forms and submit the same to the DMCs concerned. The applications will be processed by the GHMC head office and the same will be handed over to commissioner and director of municipal administration (CDMA) the implementing agency, for sanction of funds.
Also those households where old toilets need remodelling can apply for construction of new toilets for which government will provide funds.
The officials said that Swachh Bharat scheme is applicable to the urban local bodies (ULB), even if the beneficiaries are living in unauthorised colonies or notified, non-notified slums. As state government is implementing Swachh Bharat scheme across the State, slums in Greater Hyderabad can be declared as open defecation free by constructing new individual household toilets , they added.
As per the Swachh Bharat scheme, every household will get `12,000 to construct a toilet which include `4,000 share from the Ministry of Urban Development. The remaining amount will be provided by the state government. The scheme specifies that the first instalment will be released after verification of beneficiary by ULBs and the second instalment will be provided only after photographs of under construction toilets are sent as proof by ULB officials after personal verification.
Swachh Bharat Drive