The Hindu : Sanitary complexes to be constructed in 484 panchayats

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 25, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Others

Sanitary complexes to be constructed in 484 panchayats

By R. Rajaram

PUDUKOTTAI, MARCH 24 . The integrated sanitary complexes for women and children will be constructed in 484 panchayats of Pudukottai district by June.

The district administration has accorded importance to the scheme by involving the community in its implementation. Women sanitary complexes have been constructed in 276 panchayats, and handed over to the `user groups', comprising self-help group members, for maintenance.

Official sources told The Hindu that the sanitary complexes would be set up in the other 208 panchayats by mid-June. Construction works had commenced in 179 panchayats, while in the other panchayats, creation of water source was under way.

Each complex would have six toilets, three bathrooms and a platform for washing, besides an overhead water tank and a ground-level reservoir. The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) had formed `user groups' in all 208 panchayats.

The sources said that unlike in the first and second phase of the scheme, the administration had consulted the user groups about the site where the complexes needed to be constructed. In the pilot phase, 13 complexes (one per block) were constructed, while in the second phase, 270 panchayats were covered.

The complexes were being constructed with money allotted under a special scheme and the Total Sanitation Programme (TSP), and from the MLA Constituency Development Fund.

The sources said Rs. 100 was collected from each of the 100-member user groups by the members themselves, and a bank account opened in their name. A matching grant of Rs. 10,000 was released by the DRDA under the TSP.

A portion of the corpus fund of Rs.20, 000 would be utilised for maintenance of the complexes and the balance would be rotated among the members on a nominal interest. In addition to this, a nominal amount fixed by the group would be collected from the members as well as non-members for using the sanitary complex, and the sum would be used for maintenance.

In essence, the interest earned from the corpus fund as well as the money lent to members and the nominal charges levied upon the users would be used for maintenance of the complex, without raiding the main capital, a senior official said.

The sources said Rs. 26.8 lakhs was collected from the user group members, numbering 40,000, and deposited in the bank.

As Avudayarkoil taluk does not have any water source, all 14 panchayats there have been left out of the scheme.

The objective, said the sources, was to do away with open defecation and protect the dignity of rural women. The user group concept not only enhanced the leadership quality among the members but also helped them take collective decision.

Encouraged by the positive response from the rural women to the sanitary complex programme, the administration is considering to utilise the user group members to promote hygiene and to cover more people under the TSP.

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