Over 50,000 household toilets constructed in Meghalaya

SHILLONG, Dec 10: Meghalaya’s coverage under the Swach Bharat Mission Gramin is 53,627 household toilets and 1,108 thousand community sanitary complexes, informed Minister in-charge Housing Marcuise N Marak on Tuesday while announcing the campaign’s closure.
The state has achieved 78.5 per cent of individual functional toilet constructions, he said.
Informing that the construction cost of an individual toilet is Rs 12,000, he said that out of the 1,48,102 lakh applications received for the construction of individual toilets, 87,000 were sanctioned.
‘The mission aligns with the vision of access to safe and hygienic facilities.
Talking about open defecation frees plus status, ‘Meghalaya achieved 83 plus per cent’, he said.
On challenges, he said land acquisition though small remains a hurdle and urged the traditional heads to extend cooperation to the government to ensure that the 100 ODF plus target is reached.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her 2024 budget speech on July 23 proposed an allocation of Rs 12, 192 crore under the Swachh Bharat mission.