Himachal targets ODF before 2019

Shimla :With only 250000 toilets to be constructed Himachal Pradesh is aiming to be Open Defecation Free(ODF) before 2019, even as the entire country is targeting to be ODF by 2022.

“Out of 14,83562 households 12,74555 already have toilets. With the state government receiving its first instalment of Rs 48 crore of the entire Rs 825 crore sanctioned under the Swatch Bharat Mission(SBM) the state could achieve its target well before 2019,” a spokesman of the state government said here Sunday.

The state government has identified 477 panchayats for providing solid and liquid management system in the first phase and all 3243 panchayats would be covered under the system.
Himachal Pradesh has seen a leap in construction of toilets over the past two decades.

But there is still concern that migrant labour involved in various infrastructure projects and farm related work still go out in the open relieve themselves.

There is criticism that the state government does not implement and law as contractors who engage labour do not provide toilet and other such facilities .