KOZHIKODE: At a time when the City Corporation is racing to speed up works of the Open Defecation Free scheme implemented within Corporation areas, various parts of the city including the beach are still free for the public to defecate openly. Thanks to the lack of a toilet facility by the Corporation, hundreds of truck drivers and their assistants who come to the city from distant places use the beach daily.
“In states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, we get facilities to rest, clean toilets, drinking water and a medical centre”, said Rajender Yadav from Haryana, who came to the city with a load on Wednesday. He said that in Kozhikode, they were not even given space to park vehicles. “Moreover, there are no public toilets. Hence the city has no right to blame us,” he pointed out. He added that in Kerala a majority of roads were bad.
“Not being able to go to the toilet for long periods is a serious problem. It’s painful and uncomfortable – not to mention dangerous”, said a truck driver from Tamil Nadu. “And a lack of basic hygiene can be harmful for us as well as the general public. You have to keep in mind that we transport and handle everything that you use on a daily basis,” he added.
Deputy Mayor Meera Darsak said, “We are planning to construct 10 community toilets in selected locations in the City as part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and also to build more public toilets. Constructing toilets in the lorry stand near the Beach will also be considered”. As part of the ODF scheme to be declared within the Corporation limit, a total of 1503 toilets will be either constructed or repaired.
Of these, 1,400 have already been completed. The deputy mayor said that the construction and repairs of toilets were carried out at a cost of Rs 2.31 crore which included Rs 1.52 crore from the Corporation, Rs 60.20 lakh aid of the central government and the remaining Rs 20.06 lakh from the state government. She added that ODF was to be declared on Friday but because the Excise Minister was not available, the event was postponed.
