No toilet at home? Then, forget citizenship!

DANG, APR 19 -No toilets? Beware! You may be deprived of government services. Saudiyar VDC of Dang prevents people sans toilets from getting recommendations for citizenship, land certificates and other services.

The move aims at encouraging locals to build toilets—for the sake of cleanliness. Those having toilets get the VDC’s identity cards, which are useful in schools, health institutions and government offices.

A ‘Sanitation Commando Squad’ has been formed in the VDC to make the VDC an open defecation-free zone. The commando squad visits local houses and educates them about the necessity of toilets. It has also launched a programme where well-off neighbours gift poor people toilet pans.

“Those who cannot afford to build toilets get our help. But those who are reluctant to do so despite their capacity will be deprived of VDC facilities,” said commando squad coordinator Gopal Bhusal. The squad has organised a programme to distribute pans to poor people.

On Saturday, six poor households of Jajaragaun got toilet pans. “I am happy I will not be detached from Jajaragaun, my village and that I will have an identity card,” said Deshu Chaudhary, a local who got pans on Saturday. “I will build a toilet with it,” she said. With the programme in place, more people are aware of the importance of toilets.

Coordinator of the sanitation committee and VDC secretary Surya Prakash Belbase said households having toilets have increased by 95 percent from 35 percent in five months. (source : ekantipur)