MARGAO: The Curtorim Congress MLA, Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, has requested the Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant to prioritise the task of making Goa 100 per cent Open Defecation Free (ODF) State.
Reginaldo in a letter to the Chief Minister has brought to the notice that Goa, despite being a literate and prosperous State and also a tourist destination for travellers from both overseas and India, is still not Open Defecation Free (ODF), especially when it comes to its villages and rural areas.
“I request your good self to prioritise the task at hand of making Goa 100% ODF. It should not be s difficult task for the government to provide toilets to those people of Goa who till date defecate in the open which creates nuisance to the public and is a black spot on the State,” requested Reginaldo in his letter to the CM.
“Goa is placed at the bottom in ODF ranking among the States and Union Territories of India, according to the latest data released by Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (All India) and by the Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. Goa being a smaller State in terms of villages, with only 375 villages, is only 76.22% ODF,” Reginaldo pointed out.
“It is shocking to learn that the other two States Odisha and Telangana, though faltering on ODF are ODF free by 84.85 per cent and 96.26 per cent respectively despite both these eastern and southern States of India being much bigger in terms of territory and the number of villages and houses,” expressed Reginaldo.
