Srinagar: Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Abdul Rehman Veeri has asked the department to construct Community Sanitary Complex (CSC) in educational, health institutions and at tourist places under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). This effort would help in achieving universal sanitation coverage.
The Minister said this while chairing a meeting convened to discuss the action plan in this regard with the senior officers of Education, RDD, Health, Tourism and PHE department.
Secretary Education Farooq Shah, Secretary RDD Sheetal Nanda, Director SBM-G M N Sheikh, Mission Director JKSRLM Bakshi Javid, Additional Secretary Tourism Tassaduq Hussain, Additional Secretary PHE Pankaj Kumar Sharma and other concerned officers attended the meeting.
Addressing the officers, the Minister said SBM-G has a provision of constructing community sanitary complex in places where footfall of people is high. He said these facilities need to be properly managed for its better usage. The CSC fosters the cognitive development of healthy sanitation practices in the community, he added.
“Community sanitary complexes need to be constructed in educational, health institutions and at popular tourist places so that students, people visiting health institutions and tourist would be provided separate toilet facilities for men and women”, the Minister added.
Veeri asked the Secretary Education to provide a list of schools to the Rural Development department where this kind of facility be constructed. He said priority should be given to the Girls High Secondary/High Schools.
He also asked for ensuring proper upkeep of this facility after construction by the school management so that the asset created must be utilized for long period.
Under ODF Plus activities, the Minister asked Secretary Education to issue necessary directions to the schools for carrying out activities for behavioral change among the community through school going children’s. He also asked for exploring possibilities to introduce short lecture on health and sanitation during morning assembly.
With regard to creation of such facility at health institutions in the state, the Minister directed the Health department to come up with the details of such institutions especially PHCs/CHCs.
“It has been felt that outdoor patients and their attendants during their visit to the health institutions feel inconvenience for the need of toilet facilities. All such institutions should be identified and details be provided to RD department so that CSC’s be constructed for the benefit of people”, the Minister said.
It was further informed in the meeting that community sanitary complexes have been constructed at every tourist destination but most of them are defunct and invariably closed.
Asking for ensuring proper upkeep of such facility at the tourist places, the Minister directed the Tourism department to outsource manpower so that these facilities are maintained for its proper utilization.
“Assets have been created by the government at all such places but the need is to adopt a mechanism to ensure maintenance of all such facilities”, Veeri added.
Tourism department was also asked for proving details of tourist destinations required CSC’s.
RDD Minister also asked the department to look out the possibilities to create such facility at Anganwari centres being run by Social Welfare department besides constructing CSC’s at sports stadiums for the benefit of sportspersons.
The Minister also asked for keeping in mind availability of water supply line before finalizing the site for construction of CSC as it is essential for its upkeep. He asked the PHE department to provide water connection to all these CSC once they get completed.
Veeri asked all the concerned departments to take the ownership and maintenance of the CSC’s after their handing over for usage for their sustainability.
Secretary RDD Sheetal Nanda informed the meeting about the issue which was raised by the female employees during a recently held interaction with Chief Minister regarding separate toilet facilities in the government offices.
The Minister asked the RD department to explore the possibilities in this regard so that the issue raised by female employees is redressed.
