VISAKHAPATNAM: EVEN as chief minister Chandrababu Naidu during his recent visit to the city set the August 30 deadline to make the Port City free of open defecation, statistics suggest that more than 4,000 households in the ctiy are yet to have toilets. What worries the GVMC officials is that many individuals, despite having having toilets, do not use them.
Many residents in the hilly and slum areas at Kancharapalem, Ganeshnagar, Appugarh, Jalaripeta, Old town, interior areas of Bheemili, Anakapalle and Gajuwaka are still open defecating due to lack of toilets. Residents of a few hilly areas, BNR Colony, fishermen colonies like Jalaripeta, One town, which have been found vulnerable to open defecation, points at the lack of toilets in that area.
“Around 270 households in Jalaripeta area do not have toilets. The GVMC has promised to construct community toilets, but it is still in proposal stage. Some 10 days ago in a meeting, we brought this issue to the notice of the GVMC,” said Teddu Shankar, secretary of Fishermen Welfare Association Visakhapatnam.
According to GVMC commissioner Pravin Kumar, in many areas people, despite having toilets, do not not use them. The civic body has come up with an action plan to deal with this issue.
“We have identified around 160 vulnerable places in the city where open defecation (OD) panels have been formed to see the implementation of norms. Deadlines have been set to make each ward free of open defecation and the OD panels will create awareness among residents,” Pravin Kumar said.