As a part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the government aims to deter open defecation in our country. To fulfil this objective, the Urban Development Department constructed toilets for several families. However, the scheme hasn’t worked quite as expected.
In a village in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, Dinesh Yadav has converted the toilet constructed as a part of the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ into a kitchen!
Yadav said that his toilet was constructed by the sarpanch of the village. However, the job was left unfinished.
“We gave him the money transferred into our account (by the government). But so far the toilet has not been completed. We still go out for attending nature’s call.”
The toilet had no proper septic tank so it was unfit for its intended use.
In the same district, Laxman Kushwaha, a labourer, converted his toilet into a tiny grocery shop. He said that the sceptic tank was too small so nobody could actually use the toilet.
“The toilet was occupying valuable space which I thought of converting into a shop.”
When made aware of these issues, DK Maurya, additional district magistrate (ADM) Chhatarpur and in-charge CEO Zila Panchyat, had this to say.
“I admit there are some problems in the implementation of this scheme. We are taking action against those found guilty and reckless. Strict action has been taken and district coordinator has been shunted out for lapses.”
According to RK Thapak, the convener at a local NGO, there were several irregularities in the implementation of the scheme in MP.
This type of situation is nothing new. Every time our government has tried to implement a progressive scheme, numerous opportunistic individuals have tried to squeeze some money out of it. Honestly, we can never completely eliminate opportunistic behaviour. However, the least we can do is make people aware of this and ensure instances of such behaviour are minimal.
News Source: Hindustan Times, India Today