Sending out a strong message against open defecation, salaries of around 600 government employees in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir were stopped for not constructing toilets in their houses, an official said on Saturday.
Angrez Singh Rana, district development commissioner, Kishtwar, passed the order on Friday on receipt of a report submitted by Anil Kumar Chandail, assistant commissioner development, regarding lack of toilets in the houses of 616 State employees of Padder block, he said.
Jammu and Kashmir has achieved a target of 71.95 per cent with respect to the construction of individual household latrines (IHHLs), verification and geo-tagging of units under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Kishtwar has registered 57.23 per cent success in this regard. Leh and Kargil districts in Ladakh, Shopian in south Kashmir and Srinagar have been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF).
Shameful, says official
After receiving Mr. Chandail’s report, the Kishtwar district development commissioner took serious note of the matter. “It is shameful and depicts the government in a bad light...being a government employee, our behaviour and way of living should serve as an example in society for others to follow,” the official said.
