The poor state of public toilets in the city have put the civic administration in the spot as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has failed to improve its open defecation status (ODF). This is likely to affect Pune’s participation in the Swachh Survekshan rankings.
A team of officials from the union government visited Pune earlier this month and carried out surprise checks at public toilets. The civic body will have to resolve the problem of public toilets in order to be allowed to participate in the contest, officials said.
However, the PMC is now in a desperate attempt to get a revisit from the team so as to prove its efforts of improved sanitation conditions in the city.
In a message to the press, Dnyaneashwar Molak Deputy municipal Commissioner for Solid Waste Management department and who is also the nodal officer for the survey said, “PMC is not out of the ranking system and we are a part of Swachh Survekshan 2020 race. We are aiming for ODF++ and the preparations for the same will be ready by December 15 and the visit for the survey will take place in January 2020. The survey is yet to happen.”
The administration tried to put the blame on the flash floods of September 25 for the poor condition of the toilets. Additional municipal commissioner, Shantanu Goel said, “The team from the central government visited the city when our staff was diverted for the flood relief works and we could not present our full potential at the time. So we will invite them for a revisit. It would be wrong to say that we are out of the race since this was for the revalidation of the ODF+ status which we got in the 2019 survey. We are sure after their revisit we will get the ODF++ status for which we have applied this year. Our infrastructure is in place.”
{{/usCountry}}The administration tried to put the blame on the flash floods of September 25 for the poor condition of the toilets. Additional municipal commissioner, Shantanu Goel said, “The team from the central government visited the city when our staff was diverted for the flood relief works and we could not present our full potential at the time. So we will invite them for a revisit. It would be wrong to say that we are out of the race since this was for the revalidation of the ODF+ status which we got in the 2019 survey. We are sure after their revisit we will get the ODF++ status for which we have applied this year. Our infrastructure is in place.”
{{/usCountry}}ODF ++ includes safe collection, conveyance, treatment and disposal of all faecal sludge and sewage besides the protocols of ODF+ in order to achieve safe sustainable sanitation for all. It is step further for enhanced sustainability of the sanitation in the cities. The civic body has now written a letter to the central government for a revisit and expects a reply on the same by November 15.