PERAMBALUR: Amid official reports of rural Tamil Nadu inching towards achieving open defecation-free status, residents of Ladapuram in the district complain that misappropriation of maintenance funds has reduced all the Integrated Sanitary Complexes for Women in the village to mere garbage dumps. This forces women residents to defecate in the open.
To improve sanitation facilities in the village of over 1,000 families and tackle open defecation, two Integrated Sanitary Complexes for Women were built at a cost of Rs 2.75 lakh each in 2010. They, however, remained in use not for more than two months as water supply to the facilities became irregular, say locals. Another Community Sanitary Complex built in 2019-2020 at Rs 5.25 lakh under Swachh Bharat Mission has also suffered a similar situation.
Over time, the abandoned sanitation complexes turned into garbage dumps. While one of the complexes was “renovated” at a cost of Rs 4.5 lakh in 2021-2022, locals allege misappropriation of funds by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department in the guise of maintenance has led to open defecation to continue in the village.
The construction of several latrines, meant otherwise for individual houses, at a common place has also not helped either as they, too, have been abandoned over lack of water supply, say locals. While they say complaints over the issue have been raised at several grama sabha and panchayat meetings, they add that it fell on deaf ears.
A Kumar, a resident who has taken up the issue of non-functional sanitary complexes with the authorities several times, dismisses the toilets as mere eyewash. Pointing out that the sanitation facilities lack proper water supply, he said, “We are shocked that the cost of maintenance (of the complexes) was more than that for building the sanitation complexes.
They are always locked, making women continue to defecate in the open, without safety." The abandoned complex has led to garbage being dumped at the spot, he added. Another woman resident said, "Due to the lack of facilities including adequate water supply in the complexes, we stopped using them and are forced to defecate in the open.
We have no choice but to do so. Further, we are afraid of trouble from insects and snakes when we go to defecate in the open." District Rural Development Agency Project Director A Lalitha failed to respond to The New Indian Express’s repeated attempts.