DJ Venkatesh
Diglipur, Feb 06: The Andaman & Nicobar Administration is campaigning day and night to achieve Swatch Bharat Abhiyan target and urging people to construct toilets in their houses but on the contrary it overlooks its own contribution to this campaign.
Presently Diglipur is having only one working public toilet at old fish market, Subhash Gram Diglipur. Apart from this one public toilet was constructed at Ward no. 5 at Subhash Gram under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and inaugurated it on June 25 2017 but the toilet block was never utilized by the public as it is constructed at 1.5 km away from bazaar.
Another pay and use toilet block adjacent to Administrative building constructed under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) was inaugurated on 10 Jan. 2018 but yet to be opened for the public use due to unknown reasons.
The lone working toilet block for Men & Women constructed in 2003 at fish market is maintained by Subhash Gram Panchayat is kept closed from 0830 PM to morning 6 AM.
Due to this, local public and daily commuters who were proceeding to various places from bus and other vehicles are clearly deprived of this essential service.
The last bus leaves for Port Blair from Diglipur is at 10.30 pm daily and during 08.30PM to 06.00AM about 7-9 bus plies to various places from Diglipur and sometimes ATR buses get late due to various repairs, whose passengers are forced to beg the owners of nearby lodges and private houses for use of toilet. Although often men use open space for urination, female passengers are worst hit.
Even as Health experts claim access to toilets, particularly for women, is key to sanitation, the administration of Diglipur, it appears, has decided to totally ignore the Prime Minister’s bid of a Swachh Bharat by 2019.
The PM will definitely face a mountainous task to make his pet project a success in Diglipur. The situation is such that generations of Diglipur will pass waiting for the constructions of adequate toilet blocks at Diglipur bazaar.
