TURA: To celebrate the universal event of ‘World Toilet Day’ a Community Sanitary Complex was inaugurated at Asanang village of Rongram Development Block by West Garo Hills deputy commissioner Ram Singh on Monday morning.
The construction of the roadside sanitation complex, which comprises of four units, has been made using plastic waste bottles in its construction.
Dwelling on the “Cleanliness” theme, the deputy commissioner recalled that it was Mahatma Gandhi’s dream to see India free from foreign domination and also to make it a clean and developed country.
“That is why 19th November is being observed as World Toilet Day across the country,” said Ram Singh.
The Community Sanitary Complex near Asanang was inaugurated for the people of the area in order to check and stop open defecation. He also mentioned that the complex is made out of waste plastic bottles which have been collected during various cleaning drive organized earlier.
He reiterated that there is no meaning of cleanliness drive if people cannot reduce, reuse and recycle plastic waste and that’s how the idea of setting up of a public toilet made out of plastic bottles came up. He also said that the idea of using plastic bottles can also be used in making low cost houses and requested the public to bring about ideas on how to reuse and make use of waste plastic bottles as plastic bottles can be seen lying around every nook and corner, in the streams and waterways polluting the environment.
The Deputy Commissioner also mentioned that since plastic is not bio-degradable it will be lying around for hundreds of years and said that during this world toilet day everybody should take a pledge to ensure that we use toilet at all times and to motivate others in respect of cleanliness and personal hygiene and to pass on the message to others so people will follow suit. He also informed about the incentives under Swaach Bharat Mission under which any innovative ideas under health, hygiene, sanitation etc which is brought to the notice of the authorities will be inspected and rewarded suitably.
The Block Development Officer, Rongram C& RD Block, S. C Momin also gave a talk on the importance of personal hygiene as it relates to communicable diseases and other related problems. She requested the people to use toilets and avoid open defecation for maintaining cleanliness in the village and country as a whole.
Later, the deputy commissioner led the gathering, that included villagers, in taking a pledge to avoid open defecation while motivating family members, neighbours and others to do the same. After the program a rally was taken out from the venue to Rongram Bazaar led by the deputy commissioner and other district officials including District Swachh Bharat (Gramin) member secretary and PHE executive engineer Saljrang D Sangma, among others.