Gadag: Speaker of the Karnataka legislative assembly GS Patil said constructing toilets and declaring the country open-defecation free was insufficient without ensuring their use. Five gram panchayats in his constituency would be transformed on a pilot basis, he said in Ron.Patil was speaking on the sidelines of a taluk-level orientation and action-plan workshop on sustaining open-defecation-free status in selected clusters.Feedback Foundation chairperson Ajay Sinha said toilets in many households had become storehouses for firewood and grain. While women used toilets, many men continued to defecate in fields, endangering village health, he said.Gadag Zilla Panchayat chief executive officer Mukul Jain said a house-to-house survey would be conducted in the five gram panchayats selected by Feedback Foundation and SR Patil Foundation. Unused, incomplete and damaged toilets would be identified and repaired within a strict timeframe.“Priority will be given to water supply near toilets, and the status of toilet usage will be discussed in every Gram Sabha meeting” he stated.The workshop was attended by Karnataka State Decentralisation Planning and Development Committee vice-chairperson DR Patil, Zilla Panchayat project director MV Chalageri, taluk panchayat executive officers, gram panchayat leaders, Asha and Anganwadi workers and self-help group members.It was organised by the departments of rural development and panchayat raj and rural drinking water and sanitation, Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), Gadag Zilla Panchayat and Ron Taluk Panchayat, in collaboration with Shri SR Patil Foundation and Feedback Foundation.
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