Sustaining progress, the JST way

After all the Gram Panchayats in Dakshina Kannada won  Nirmal Gram Puraskar, now efforts are on to sustain cleanliness drive through Information, Education and Communication (IEC) programmes, writes Naina J A

Sanitation is not civil engineering activity, but it is about changing the attitude and mindset,” said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a meet on sanitation. On the lines of this statement, Jana Shikshana Trust is trying its level best to change the mindset of the people by creating civic sense among them in Bantwal taluk.

Jana Shikshana Trust which is a nodal agency to sustain the cleanliness drive in Bantwal taluk is striving to ensure that the taluk is free from open defecation, by creating awareness in each and every village on sustaining the work undertaken during Total Sanitation Campaign. The Trust in association with the Gram Panchayat is monitoring hygiene and creating awareness. 

Speaking to City Herald, Jana Shikshana Trust Directors Sheena Shetty and Krishna Moolya said “we impart awareness through Information, Education and Communication (IEC) programmes and monitor hygiene in the villages.”

Bantwal taluk has 49 Gram Panchayats and 269 wards. Each ward is given Rs 5,500 to sustain the work taken up under TSC. Accordingly, Bantwal taluk has received Rs 16,79, 500. To sustain the work on cleanliness drive, the Trust has chalked out 12 point programme to b e implemented by the Gram Panchayats. 

They said “The ward level cleanliness committees were strengthened in each and every ward. All the committees have been asked to convene ward- level meetings every month and maintain minutes book on the proceedings of the meeting. The ward committees have been asked to visit every household and create awareness among the people on the usage of toilet, minimising the use of plastics and creating a compost pit to dump the degradable waste.” 

“After identifying the households, which do not have toilet facilities, shramadaan is being carried out by the youth organisations for constructing the toilets. Campaign on cleanliness is being organised by holding jatha, street plays by the members of SDMC, school children, Self-Help Group members, Yuvathi mandala, Mahila Mandala and others. 

Shetty said to create conducive atmosphere and to stress for sustaining the activities, wall writings are taken up in the villages. Attractive paintings on the cleanliness are painted on the walls of public buildings, angawadi centres, bus shelters and other places. By the end of January, as many as 1,533 toilets were to be constructed in the taluk. The construction of toilets are under progress and efforts are made to declare the taluk free from open defecation, he added.

All the PDOs of 49 Gram Panchayats were taken on a visit to district-level cleanliness award winning school – Keddalike school, Barinje Anganwadi to get inspiration from the activities carried out in the school and anganwadi centre. 

Shetty says “if the momentum is created, then the programme becomes continuous affair. Gram Panchayats like Kadeshwalya, Manchi, Naringana have achieved 100 per cent in the construction of toilets are making an effort to reduce the use of plastics and maintaining over all cleanliness in the village.”

In Uli Gram Panchayat, the Rotary Club provided all the necessary requirements for the construction of toilets in those houses which do not have.

Kariangala Gram Panchayat PDO Naveen Bhandary said ‘the Gram Panchayat won Nirmal Gram Puraskar in 2008. However, a survey revealed that 40 houses did not have toilets.

“We are nearing hundred per cent in the construction of toilets. The work on compost pit in every house is under progress. At the same time, we have placed waste bins in nook and corner of villages to allow the people to dump wastes,” he said.

Thumbe Gram Panchayat PDO Shivanand said “pamphlets to create awareness among the people have been distributed to each and every housee through anganwadi workers. As many as 95 households did not have toilets, of which, Thumbe village has been declared as free from open defecation. In Kallige village, 12 toilets have to be constructed. We have already convinced the house owners to go for the construction of toilets.”

“The solid waste disposal unit will be set up in the land belonging to horticulture department once we get green signal from the horticulture director. We are also planning for the door-to-door collection of  wastes,” he added.