Swachh drive goes for toss in Hiranagar sector

Sanjay Pathak

Kathua, November 17

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has fallen flat in villages along the Zero Line on the International Border (IB) in Kathua as people, particularly women and girls, are forced to defecate in the open due to non-availability of toilets.

Union Minister in the PMO Jitendra Singh, who is also the local Member of Parliament, had on September 15 last year announced the open defecation-free campaign in the state from Kathua district.

Under the campaign, 1,120 multi-purpose toilets were to be built in collaboration with the Sulabh International in the Hiranagar sector. The estimated cost of the project was of Rs 4.40 crore.

The project envisaged providing a safe and secure environment to women in border belts as in other places. In border areas, women go outdoors for ablution, but as there is continuous patrolling by security personnel and incidents of cross-border firing, it becomes difficult for them to venture out at night.

As many as 196 toilets were constructed in the Marheen area but work was stopped last year and no reason was cited. Besides, the district administration also turned a blind to the situation.

“The construction work of 1,120 toilets was started in the Hiranagar sector but it was stopped after the construction of 196 toilets,” said Bharat Bushan, senior vice-president of Border Welfare Union.

Bushan said they had raised the issue before the high-level expert panel of the Union Ministry for Home Affairs which visited the area recently.

He said the construction of toilets was a welcome initiative in border villages as the local population, nearly 15,000 living close to the Zero Line on the International Border, often come under attack of unprovoked firing by the Pakistan Rangers.

“Our women and young girls are forced to attend the nature’s call in the open as they don’t have toilets at home. The patrolling of security personnel causes great embarrassment to women and young girls who are also at the risk of Pakistan firing,” Bushan said.

“The construction of toilets was started with pomp and show and even the local MP visited the border villages claiming his big achievement, but soon after the construction of 196 toilets, the project was stopped without any reason, leaving them at the mercy of the Pakistan Rangers,” said Ghansham Sharma, chairman, All Jammu and Kashmir Border Development Front.

BJP district president Prem Nath Dogra, who is a close aide of Jitendra Singh, claimed he had apprised the Union Minister of the problem and he had promised him that the project would restart in 15 days.