Minister stresses
for maintenance of CSC’s for proper usage, sustainability
SRINAGAR, MAY 28: Minister for
Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Abdul Rehman Veeri has asked the
department to construct Community Sanitary Complex (CSC) in educational, health
institutions and at tourist places under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). This
effort would help in achieving universal sanitation coverage.
The Minister said
this while chairing a meeting convened to discuss the action plan in this
regard with the senior officers of Education, RDD, Health, Tourism and PHE
department.
Secretary
Education Farooq Shah, Secretary RDD Sheetal Nanda, Director SBM-G M N Sheikh,
Mission Director JKSRLM Bakshi Javid, Additional Secretary Tourism Tassaduq
Hussain, Additional Secretary PHE Pankaj Kumar Sharma and other concerned
officers attended the meeting.
Addressing
the officers, the Minister said that SBM-G has a provision of constructing
community sanitary complex in places where footfall of people is high. He said
these facilities need to be properly managed for its better usage. The CSC
fosters the cognitive development of healthy sanitation practices in the
community, he added.
“Community
sanitary complexes need to be constructed in educational, health institutions
and at popular tourist places so that students, people visiting health
institutions and tourist would be provided separate toilet facilities for men
and women”, the Minister added.
Veeri asked the
Secretary Education to provide a list of schools to the Rural Development
department where this kind of facility be constructed. He said that priority
should be given to the Girls High Secondary/High Schools.
He also asked for
ensuring proper upkeep of this facility after construction by the school
management so that the asset created must be utilized for long period.
Under ODF Plus
activities, the Minister asked Secretary Education to issue necessary
directions to the schools for carrying out activities for behavioral change
among the community through school going children’s. He also asked for
exploring possibilities to introduce short lecture on health and sanitation
during morning assembly.
With regard to
creation of such facility at health institutions in the state, the Minister
directed the Health department to come up with the details of such institutions
especially PHCs/CHCs.
“It has been felt
that outdoor patients and their attendants during their visit to the health
institutions feel inconvenience for the need of toilet facilities. All such
institutions should be identified and details be provided to RD department so
that CSC’s be constructed for the benefit of people”, the Minister said.
It
was further informed in the meeting that community sanitary complexes have been
constructed at every tourist destination but most of them are defunct and
invariably closed.
Asking for
ensuring proper upkeep of such facility at the tourist places, the Minister
directed the Tourism department to outsource manpower so that these facilities
are maintained for its proper utilization.
“Assets have been
created by the government at all such places but the need is to adopt a
mechanism to ensure maintenance of all such facilities”, Veeri added.
Tourism
department was also asked for proving details of tourist destinations required
CSC’s.
RDD
Minister also asked the department to look out the possibilities to create such
facility at Anganwari centres being run by Social Welfare department besides
constructing CSC’s at sports stadiums for the benefit of sportspersons.
The
Minister also asked for keeping in mind availability of water supply line
before finalizing the site for construction of CSC as it is essential for its
upkeep. He asked the PHE department to provide water connection to all these
CSC once they get completed.
Veeri
asked all the concerned departments to take the ownership and maintenance of
the CSC’s after their handing over for usage for their sustainability.
Secretary
RDD Sheetal Nanda informed the meeting about the issue which was raised by the
female employees during a recently held interaction with Chief Minister
regarding separate toilet facilities in the government offices.
The Minister asked the RD department to explore the possibilities in
this regard so that the issue raised by female employees is redressed.
