Bamra: In 2007 for the first time Govindpur panchayat of this block in Sambalpur district brought glory to the district by bagging the ‘Total Sanitation Award’. In 2011-12, the panchayat again won the ‘Nirmala Grama Puraskar’ from the state government including a citation and a cash award.
But the panchayat has a different tale to tell now. With around half of its population opting for open defecation the glory has become a thing of the past.
With the launching of Swachh Bharat Mission, the Central government is spending crores to ensure toilets in every household in rural and urban areas to make India open defecation free.
While all panchayats here have been included under the mission and toilet construction is going on at full speed, Govindpur panchayat has not been taken into consideration, thanks to the government report which says that 95 per cent of beneficiaries got toilets constructed.
But the reality is far from that. Even today villagers are forced to go out to relieve themselves with no toilet facilities in their houses. The practice can be seen in villages like Majhipada, Daldaliapada, Turipada, Sisalpharmpada, Mitupada, Mundadhipa, Haripada, Khokopada and some other areas.
With open defecation rampant here Govindpur sarpanch Minakhee Majhi took up the matter up with Collector Samarth Verma and requested him to get the panchayat included again in the mission.
Though the panchayat has again been included in the mission and four months have passed since the list of final beneficiaries was published, the villagers are allegedly yet to get their work orders, resulting in strong resentment.
When asked about the progress of the mission in the panchayat, BDO Brajabandhu Bhoi advised us to contact the junior engineers of RWSS instead of giving an answer.
Several attempts were made to contact the junior engineers in vain as their mobile phones were always off. PNN