deb odf
Photo: Northeast Now

Tripura to go open defecation free (ODF) by this year declared State Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Tuesday.

Deb on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti visited a harijan colony in capital Agartala and after taking part in the programme of digging of trench and foundation stone laying of a smart toilet informed, “As part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s dream to make India open defecation free (ODF) under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Tripura Government has a target to make the State ODF by the end of this year.”

The Chief Minister informed that with the same target the State Government is constructing 50 smart toilets including 25 for the rural areas and 25 for urban slum areas at the rate of Rs 14 lakh for each toilet and of which the Centre is providing Rs four lakh for each and the remaining cost to be borne by the State Government.

Besides these, hundreds of toilets are also being constructed across the State with State and Central Government’s financial aid to make Tripura open defecation free.

Local people though are happy that the Chief Minister visited their area, also expressed that if the Government along with toilet could make arrangements for community houses then it would be a great help.

According to report all total 11 states and union territories (UTs) have been declared open defecation free (ODF) under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), the Centre’s flagship programme.

Pinaki Das is Northeast Now Correspondent in Agartala. He can be reached at: [email protected]