All village panchayats in Tiruchi district will be declared open defecation free (ODF) by December 31, according to Collector K. Rajamani.
Speaking at a function organised by Association of Voluntary Organisations here on Saturday, he said that construction of Individual Household Latrines (IHHL) in village panchayats had gained momentum. Out of 404 village panchayats, construction of individual household toilets in all houses of 301 panchayats had already been completed. The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) officials were instructed to expedite the process of constructing toilets in all pending villages. The progress of works was being closely monitored.
“Tiruchi district is a pioneer in construction of toilets in rural households. The day is not far away in declaring Tiruchi district is open defecation free,” Mr. Rajamani said.
Stating that Tiruchi city had figured in the top 10 cleanest cities across the country for three years consecutively, he said a number of steps had been initiated to improve the ranking in 2018. All citizens of the city should cooperate with the civic body to improve its ranking. Tiruchi City Corporation had already banned plastic sale, which was affecting the environment. The ways and means of enforcing the ban would be released soon.
Complimenting the Non-Governmental Organizations in Tiruchi district on creating awareness among the people on open defecation, Mr. Rajamani said their role in solid waste management could not be underestimated.
K. Meena, former vice-chancellor, Bharathidasan University, said that Tiruchi district had been a pioneer in NGO movement. They would have to play a key role in creating awareness among the public on various aspects of life.
“Sevai” Govindaraj, “Scope” Subburaman, M.A. Aleem, former vice-principal, K. A. P. Viswanatham Medical College, Tiruchi and others spoke.
Earlier, Mr. Rajamani presented a medal on behalf of Association of Voluntary Agencies to S. Sakul Hameed, Executive Officer, Ponnampatti Town Panchayat, as a token of appreciation for bagging best town panchayat award in the State for best practices in solid waste management.
