E-Paper
Haryana achieves 79% progress in ODF plus initiative
Haryana chief secretary called upon the districts lagging in the ODF plus initiative to accelerate their efforts within the next 45 days
Haryana chief secretary Sanjeev Kaushal on Monday said the state has achieved 79.63% progress in the open defecation free (ODF) plus initiative, as of November 2. This marked a major leap towards ensuring cleaner and more hygienic living conditions for residents.
The chief secretary, who was reviewing the Swachh Bharat schemes, said 5,411 villages that include 3,777 aspiring, 391 rising and 1,243 model have achieved the status of ODF plus.
The progress signifies a substantial improvement from the previous national average achievement level of 65.64% on August 3, he added.
Kaushal said district officers who have achieved 80% ODF plus should aim higher, setting an ambitious target of attaining 100% ODF plus status within the next 15 days.
The chief secretary also called upon the districts lagging in the ODF plus initiative to accelerate their efforts within the next 45 days. He told the CEOs of panchayats in these districts to undertake visits to other districts that have excelled in ODF plus implementation for insights and best practices.
A deadline of December 31 has been set for all DCs and chief executive officers (CEOs) in the districts to achieve 100% ODF plus compliance, he said.
It was informed that the state has introduced a state policy for de-sludging single pits and septic tanks and safe faecal sludge disposal in rural areas. The public health engineering department (PHED) has green-lit 94 pre-structure estimates for co-treatment. These structures within existing PHED STPs are expected to be completed by January 31, 2024, with a budget of ₹10.80 crore allocated. A systematic approach is taken by mapping all villages to determine their proximity to PHED STPs, ensuring efficient faecal sludge management. 451 de-sludgers have been identified and 263 have been registered offline.
