Brightly coloured mascots will try to prevent people from relieving themselves out in the open in Lutyens’ Delhi, with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) deploying 28 ‘Swachh Sewaks’ for the task.
The mascots have been deployed, two each in the 14 sanitation circles, to curb open defecation and urination, the NDMC said in a statement on Monday.
The NDMC took the decision with an eye on the upcoming Swachh Bharat survey that the Urban Development Ministry will be conducting from January 4. The NDMC was placed fourth in last year’s Swachh Bharat rankings and is trying to reach the top this time, the statement said.
Keeping watch
While the UD Ministry has declared NDMC ‘open defecation-free’, the mascots will try to ensure that people don’t relieve themselves along railway tracks and in JJ clusters. If a person is found defecating or urinating in the open, the mascot will blow a whistle, catch the person on the spot and take action, said the NDMC.
As part of the government’s Swachh Bharat Mission, the NDMC has been improving sanitation in its area by opening public toilets. Over 270 public toilets and community toilet complexes are already functioning, and work on new facilities is on.
The NDMC also added a feature to its ‘NDMC 311’ app, which will now allow users to search for the nearest toilet.
