World Toilet Day: BMC Calls for Cooperation from all Quarters for Better Sanitation in City

Bhubaneswar: The Temple City’s sanitation status relating to toilets is quite impressive and others are happy to follow in our footsteps, said BMC Additional Commissioner Laxmikant Sethi while participating at the city level celebration of World Toilet Day.

Participating at the event as the chief guest in Mayfair Hotel, the additional commissioner said “till date more than 673 million people are using toilets and in our city to create a better situation we should work hand-in-hand with community-based and social service organisations.’’

Another guest of the occasion and Deputy Commissioner (Sanitation) of BMC Suvendu Kumar Sahu said “in Bhubaneswar we have 75 community toilets with 1992 seats, 99 common toilets, 42 e-toilets and 10 bio toilets. In a day 22,000 people can use these toilets. While some are in renovation and maintenance phase, most are working and in use by citizens. The media organisations should help us in creating awareness so that more and more people would use the toilets.’’

He also added that despite having mobile toilets, BMC could not use them in recent past due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “BMC will use the mobile toilets to their maximum capacity once the pandemic comes to a halt. Many corporate houses have evinced interest in creating toilet facilities in the city. However, with support from all quarters we can have a better sanitation as by imposing fines it would be difficult to achieve,’’ he added.

The event, organized by CFAR in association with BMC was also attended by leading transgender leader and Member of National Transgender Council Meera Parida. She said “toilet use, its maintenance quality and social management shows the socio-political and economic status of that particular locality/community, so we should use toilets and keep out city clean.’’

Thanking BMC for installing the first toilet for trans-genders near Vani Vihar Square, she added “the civic body should make a special plan to provide toilets to trans-genders at other locations across the State Capital. She also suggested that the wall paintings of the city should also depict the life story of the trans-genders. The depiction of trans-genders in the wall paintings will also prove the inclusiveness of the BMC authorities.’’

The centre of attraction of the event was also to distribute toilet pans to 10 differently-abled persons. In this CFAR-identified specially-challenged, elderly and trans-genders received the pans. The event discussed in details how all in our society could contribute towards making a clean and green city and use toilets properly. Five sanitation walls in five wards were unveiled. National head of CFAR Akhila Siba Das joined through virtual mode and spoke on how to accelerate the toilet movement and sanitation in the city.

The event also discussed safety, security and rights of sanitation staff and how the specially-challenged, elderly and trans-genders could use the toilets effectively and efficiently. State head of CFAR Samir Ranjan Das coordinated the event and Jayashree Das extended vote of thanks.