In a Chhattisgarh town, no PDS rations if toilet not built

Despite extensive campaign, not a single toilet was built in the Bastar Nagar panchayat where one had to pay Rs 1000 to get a toilet constructed

Local panchayat officials in Chattisgarh are taking extreme steps to meet the Swachh Bharat Mission of building toilets. People failing to take initiative to construct a toilet in Bastar Nagar panchayat in Chhattisgarh would be denied ration from the public distribution system.

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, each house in the Nagar Panchayat was supposed to build a toilet. The estimated cost of each toilet was fixed at Rs 20,000. While the Nagar Panchayat would grant Rs 19,000, the family had to contribute Rs 1000 as its share in the project.

Despite extensive campaign, not a single toilet was built in the Bastar Nagar panchayat that houses about 1600 families. Finding no way out, the authorities decided to take stringent action to pursue the people. Under the action plan, local officials have communicated to the residents in in the area that those failing to take initiative to build a toilet would be denied rations from the public distribution system outlets.
 

The owners of the three public distribution system outlets in the panchayat had been asked to communicate to the beneficiaries that they would be given ration only if they showed the receipt of Rs 1000 that they had deposited as their contribution in the project. The whip was however waiting execution as the authorities wanted to give time so that more people could come forward.

The district administration however denied the move was official. “It is village level communities doing on their own,” Bastar Collector Amit Kataria told Business Standard. Another official said it was a verbal order to mount pressure on the people as ration supply cannot be stopped officially.

In Chhattisgarh, authorities are however under pressure to achieve the target under the mission. In one panchayat, one of the senior officials have been accused of threatening his sub-ordinates of denial promotion, if the mission target was not achieved.

According to the mission status report, of the 4,29,9847 Individual Household Latrines (IHHL) targeted in Chhattisgarh, only 2,13,8789 could be built. This is not not even half of the target projected.