New Delhi: Construction of toilets in urban areas under the ambitious 'Swachh Bharat' mission is yet to take off in 14 states and Union Territories including Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tripura and West Bengal.
The other states and UTs, found to be lagging in construction of toilets under the Centre's flagship sanitation programme are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Nagaland, according to a senior Union Urban Development Ministry official.
Besides, according to the UD Ministry data, 10 states and Union Territories are still to start processing of solid waste, an essential component of the 'Clean India' drive. These are Assam, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Daman amd Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Sikkikm, Tripura and West Bengal.
Taking a serious view of the lack of initiative on the part of these states and UTs, Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has directed the Ministry officials to convey the concerns of the Ministry to the representatives of these states/UTs to find out reasons for the same and to ensure necessary momentum.
Swachh Bharat Mission's targets in urban areas include construction of 1.04 crore individual household toilets, over 5 lakh community and public toilet seats and 100 per cent door-to-door collection of solid waste, its transportation and disposal, to be achieved by the year 2019. The mission in urban areas is being implemented at a cost of Rs 62,009 crore.
Bihar has been given Rs 8.14 crore for construction of toilets out of the total grant of Rs 37.72 crore while West Bengal has got Rs 21 crore for toilets out of total Rs 64 crore grant under the mission.
According to the ministry data, for Kerala, Rs 16.6 crore has been allocated for toilet purpose out of the total Rs 19.18 crore, and Rs 4 crore has been allocated to Jharkhand out of its total Rs 15 crore grant under the drive. Assam has got Rs 20 lakh out of total Rs 23 lakh under the mission.
Over four lakh individual household toilets have been constructed in urban areas of the country since the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission in October last year, according to the official.
