MANGALORE: Efforts of zilla panchayat to recommend 65 gram panchayats in Dakshina Kannada for the Nirmal Gram Puraskar under total sanitation campaign have suffered owing to late inclusion of solid waste and waste water management components as criteria. The panchayat is awaiting release of grants from the Centre to address this issue in the gram panchayats, especially urbanised ones in Mangalore taluk.

Solid waste and waste water management components were not included in the initial project implementation programme that entailed construction of 97,685 toilets for individual and group beneficiaries at an estimated cost of Rs. 6.37 crore. These components were included through a Government Order on April 1. However, there was no specific release of matching grants to execute plans for these components.

Inability of a few gram panchayats to address solid waste and waste water management was the main reason for NGOs to uphold claims of only 43 of 65 gram panchayats for the puraskar during the evaluation. A.M. Kunjappa, chief executive officer, of the panchayat said teams that carried out evaluation in Sullia and Belthangady taluks rejected the claims as the gram panchayats had not met norms under these two components.

He said, the initial programme had since been revised to Rs. 16.52 crore. Efforts were being made to obtain grants proportionate to this revised amount. The zilla panchayats had spent Rs. 3.41 crore in grants released by both State and Centre under the campaign. An additional Rs. 12 crore was required to implement the campaign including these two components in the remaining 138 gram panchyats, he said.

The zilla panchayat had time until end of September to address issues raised by six evaluating teams in the gram panchayats whose claims for the Puraskar have not been upheld, he said.

The gram panchayat was utilising its miscellaneous funds for the purpose.

It is here that meetings scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday with authorities concerned are critical. Mr. Kunjappa said the meetings would be used to apprise all those concerned about issues raised by the evaluating teams.

Besides, the Director of Karnataka Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency was expected to visit the gram panchayats whose claims for the Puraskar were rejected, he added.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail