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State's initiatives to maintain ODF status

To encourage ULBs to make and sustain their cities ODF status, the government has announced a reward of incentive funds on achieving the status which is linked to sustainability.

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Despite being declared ODF, cities tend to slip back to old ways due to multiple factors
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The 'Open Defecation Free Urban Maharashtra' status encompasses 384 cities, 27 municipal corporations, 229 municipal councils and 128 nagar panchayats. To achieve this, the state government says it has adopted a model of creating 'ODF Communities' by encouraging a beneficiary-led demand-driven approach towards the construction of toilets, enabling a financial and administrative framework for urban local bodies (ULBs) and linking it to incentives and disincentives.

The state government developed the 'ODF City' concept in June 2015 wherein no person is found defecating in the open at any time of the day. Every person thus has access to safe sanitation facilities. The three-tiered mechanism consists of city, district and state-level validation which every city has to follow. However, the urban development officer admits that despite being validated at various levels in the past, it is possible that the city may slip back in pockets owing to multiple factors such as new settlements and a floating population.

"Therefore the concept of 'OD Watch' has been developed, to ensure that the cities keep their guard up even after being declared ODF. It is a tool to generate awareness among defaulters and vigilantly monitor the city's infrastructure. It thus acts as a driver for sustaining the city's ODF status. It is a vigilant system for consistent monitoring of OD spots at the city, district and state level," the officer noted.

To encourage ULBs to make and sustain their cities ODF status, the government has announced a reward of incentive funds on achieving the status which is linked to sustainability.

The government also said that ULBs won't receive any development grants if they fail to achieve the status. Some ULBs including Mahad, Satara, Chandrapur and Bhandara converted old OD spots into a playground, dhobi ghat, auditorium, jogging park, open gym area.

For A class ULB, an incentive of Rs 2 crore is earmarked, of which 30 per cent is released on state-level validation, if positive. For B class ULB, an incentive of Rs 1.5 crore is assigned, of which 30 per cent is released on third-party validation by the government, if positive. In case of C class ULB, Rs 1 crore is earmarked of which 40 per cent is released on re-certification by the government, if positive.

The government has proposed to sustain the ODF status and become ODF+ and ODF++ by addressing the entire chain of sanitation.

Three-tier validation

  • Consists of city, district and state-level validation which every city has to follow.
  • City declares itself ODF: a city-level resolution is passed by the general body.
  • District-level validation is done by a committee comprising of district-level officials.
  • State-level validation is done by a committee consisting of state officials, representatives of non-government organisations and journalists.
  • After the validation is complete at three levels, the city is declared as ODF.

OD Watch

  • A Good Morning Pathak team of administrative heads and elected representatives visits critical, traditional and new OD spots.
  • They give daily reports of OD seen and not seen, and if seen, remedial measures must be taken.
  • ULBs appoint self help groups or agencies for the operation and maintenance of community toilets.
  • Administrative heads of ULBs certify the elimination of OD spots and make beautification efforts.

Demand-driven

  • The state government discourages a contractor-driven model and implements a demand-driven approach for construction of toilets to ensure sustainability.
  • More than 9 lakh applications for toilets were received in all cities, with more than 5 lakh toilets built by beneficiaries.
  • The government has forbidden the use of pre-fabricated toilets which helps in ensuring high quality, sustainable toilets, hence assuring their continued use in the future.
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