Telangana State Capital, ‘Hyderabad’ declared an open defecation free (ODF) city by the Centre on Tuesday.
The Swachh Bharat Mission Directorate of the Ministry of Urban Development has also declared six other ULBs Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC), Miryalguda, Jangoan, Bellampally, Mancherial, and Sadashivpet as ODF. The certificates would be awarded to ULBs shortly.
Special officers of the quality control division visited slums, schools, chapels, markets, and colonies managed by colony welfare associations, in four different parts of the city. They also visited a railway station and a bus station.
The Swachh Bharat mission granted the ODF tag to Hyderabad after the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) undertook measures like construction of 98 public toilets, including 24 toilets for women, urging petrol bunks and restaurants to allow the public to use their toilets and so on, said a press statement.
GHMC Mayor Bonthu Rammohan expressed happiness over Hyderabad being recognized as ODF. He claimed this was possible only because of the efforts of minister KT Rama Rao, “who is striving hard to make Hyderabad a global city.” Apart from Mumbai, Hyderabad is the only city with over 1 crore population to be accorded the ODF status.
Several awareness programmes are being conducted at the circle and zonal levels for curbing open urination.
In a few cases where people are not using toilets despite availability, they are being garlanded to cause embarrassment and fined. A total of 225 such persons were fined, and an amount of Rs 38,120 has been collected since April 2016.