The zilla panchayat is experimenting with building public toilet blocks in villages, following the reluctance shown by villagers in having a toilet block in their homes.
The first set of public toilets for women has been built in Ashtur village near Bidar. “Most village residents are reluctant to build toilets in their homes.
Some complain that it smells. Some say they don’t have enough open space in their backyard. That is why we thought of this,” said Shailendra Beldale, member, zilla panchayat. “This will also motivate more and more women to use the toilet,” the member said.
He has plans to expand the toilet complex to include a bathroom. A separate borewell has been dug to supply water to the toilet complex.
“We pooled resources meant for different schemes to build this block of six toilets,” explains Manik Patil, panchayat development officer, Ashtur Gram Panchayat. The gram panchayat plans to hire a watchman to maintain the complex.
One of the six rooms in the complex contains a toilet for physically challenged. The building has two overhead tanks that supply running water in taps to all rooms.
“At first, I objected to the construction of the block near my house thinking that it would stink. But the engineers took me to a complex in Bidar and showed me that if it kept clean, it does not. Then I agreed,” says Banakka, a farm woman who lives in the next lane.
