Navi Mumbai: Panvel City is now not only open defecation-free, but the municipal corporation is the youngest in the State to earn the distinction, having met the target within 10 months since its inception on October 1, 2016.
Panvel City Municipal Commissioner Sudhakar Shinde made the announcement at a press conference last week. Five members of an inspection committee from the State Urban Development Department recently examined the facilities in Panvel and interacted with citizens. “Following this visit, a report was submitted to the State government, and we were declared as an open defecation-free (ODF) corporation,” Dr. Shinde said.
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To achieve the ODF target, the Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) adopted a systematic plan. “Our main aim was to have a clean city. As a first step, we wanted to stop open defecation. We conducted a survey and created awareness about the Swachh Bharat Mission. A ‘good morning’ squad was formed to educate citizens about the effects of open defecation,” Dr. Shinde said.
As the aim was to first educate citizens, people found to be defecating in the open were not penalised, but asked to do community work, like cleaning the area.
“Earlier, during the first four months of a year, officials would find as many as 150 such people per day. However, with a persistent awareness drive, hardly anyone is found defecating in the open now,” he said.
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Toilets built
PCMC has already installed 216 of the 270 mobile toilets required in chawls, slum areas, and parking lots, and the rest will be completed within 15 days.
“We have also given grants to 1,808 people to construct private toilets. The central government has contributed ₹4,000 and State government ₹8,000. The remaining ₹8,000 was pitched in by the PCMC,” the civic chief said.
A total of 24 community toilets with 10 lavatories each have been constructed. Non-functional toilets have been repaired with stainless steel lavatories and doors. At eight places, solar panels have been set up with automatic timers.
The corporation has spent a total ₹2.5 crore on the work.
“Heavy vehicles are usually parked on the open plots in Kalamboli, as it has steel market. Since there were no toilets there, the drivers and cleaners would defecate in the open. Thus, three units with 8-10 lavatories each have been constructed. In future, mobile toilet facilities will also be provided in the area,” Dr. Shinde said.
Mobile toilets have been set up at Navade flyover, in MIDC area and the slum areas along the storm water drain in Kalamboli.