MARGAO: The five community toilets constructed in 2019 under the scheme Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’s goal for an Open Defecation Free (ODF) in Chandor village are in pathetic conditions, as lakhs of rupees have gone down the drains.
Shockingly, no one holds the responsibility of maintenance and as a result all the toilets are on verge of collapse.
A day before Herald had exposed the scam of Rs 1 crore in Margao with regard to 292 toilets under the same scheme, and here is yet another example of public money going down the drains for no fault of taxpayers.
At the moment, the Chandor Village Panchayat is under pressure from the locals to demolish these community toilets.
Herald revealed that the government authority had forced the panchayat body to build the community toilets without making proper arrangements for the maintenance of it.
The five community toilets include three at the gardens of three different places, one near the chapel and another at the football ground. However, presently not a single toilet is in use, as there is no facility for water and electricity.
Speaking to Herald Chandor Panchayat Sarpanch Edward D’Silva said, “The conditions of all the five community toilets are pathetic and it is a total mess.”
“These toilets were built under the scheme of Open Defecation Free, as the government was in so much hurry that they pressurised the panchayat body to identify the places for community toilets. The people did not want these community toilets in Chandor. However, we managed to convince the people,” he said.
He said, “Thereafter panchayat identified the five places, out of which three were set up in three different wards at the parks. One was near the chapel and another was at a football ground.”
“But, till today nothing has happened about the toilets. The authority has just constructed these toilets and the government declared the village ODF. Yes, we had given all the NOCs to the authorities. However, they run away after constructing them. There was no proper work done,” he alleged. He informed that these toilets were built under the Goa Solid Waste Management. Presently, all five community toilets are in bad condition.
“Now people are questioning us about the issue. There is a request from the locals to demolish these toilets,” he stated.
When contacted Rajath Chitari, one of the officials of Goa Solid Waste Management admitted that they had built those five community toilets under the scheme of ODF.
