Support of panchayats sought to make Goa open defecation free

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has sought an active support of all panchayat bodies to make the state open defecation free (ODF) by this month-end.

In a letter written to all the panchayat bodies on Tuesday, Sawant said the state government has been making sincere efforts to achieve the ODF status under the Centre's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

"As a first step towards achieving this status, the work of setting up community toilets, wherever required, has been entrusted with the Goa Waste Management Corporation with a timeline of August 31," the chief minister said.

The directorate of panchayats earlier received an application for the construction of individual toilets for households which is also being taken up simultaneously, though the priority now is to complete the construction of community toilets for the purpose of achieving the ODF status, he said.

"It will be a matter of pride for Goa to become open defecation free...for achieving this, the government solicits the active support and cooperation of the village panchayats," he added.

To make the state open defecation free by August 31, the government planned to set up 538 community toilets at different wards in panchayats and municipal areas, and 17,000 individual toilets in rural areas and 4,000 toilets in urban areas.

On August 1, Sawant said in the Goa Assembly that the state would become open defecation free by this month-end.