Mandya to be open defecation-free by December: Patil

Rural  Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H K Patil said Mandya district will be announced 100 per cent open defecation-free by December and a target has already been set to construct 50,000 toilets within the period.

Speaking at the village adoption programme, organised by district administration, Zilla Panchayat and the Mandya District Journalists’ Association at Ankushapura village in the taluk on Tuesday, he said the district has achieved construction of one lakh toilets in a year. If the construction of another 50,000 toilets are completed before December, Mandya will be the first district to eradicate open defecation, he said.

Sixteen villages adopted by Adichunchanagiri Mutt and seven villages adopted by the Journalists’ Association have to be developed into model villages, he added.

Adichunchanagiri Mutt seer Nirmalanandanatha Swami said there is a huge difference between the villages and the cities even after the introduction of latest technologies. The youths should shun bad habits and give importance to discipline, he said.

Drinking water supply
Earlier, Minister Patil held a round of meeting with the officials on drinking water supply and maintenance of cleanliness at the DC’s office. He directed the officials to treat drought as a challenge.

As drought has set in the district, the officials should gear up and tackle the drinking
water problems well in advance. The district administration and the Zilla Panchayat should take up effective programmes to tackle the drought, he added.