TMB online form resented

TURA, SEPT 6: The standing instruction from Tura Municipal Board (TMB) for submission of application form for individual toilet online under Swacch Bharat Mission (SBM) has not gone down well. A president of a development committee from a locality in Tura said, “It is surprising because it is a matter of commonsense to note that BPL families in Tura town will not have access to computers neither the knowledge to fill up the forms online”.

He said that TMB should have collected the information and if it was mandatory under the Swacch Bharat Mission to submit details online, the board should have facilitated it or should have created a help centre.

Last year, TMB chairman had issued instruction to development committees of Tura town to furnish list of beneficiaries for individual sanitary toilets and had given a deadline of two days. Adhering to the order, development committees had submitted list of beneficiaries to the board.

However, TMB cancelled the list and asked the people to apply individually online. The fresh order for online submission was issued in February last but most committees failed to submit the list, which has created a bottleneck in the implementation of the programme.

Development committees from different localities of Tura revealed that very few people have submitted requirement for toilets online. “We were happy that poor urban households would be provided toilets under SBM but there is not much awareness and facilitation by the implementing agencies”, said one of the members of the development committee.

The committees are of the view that amount to be sanctioned for construction of toilet is very low considering the cost of labour and material.

TMB has been trying to strike cord with localities by informing them that public and individual toilets can be constructed but the ground reality is dismal.

The SBM envisages 100 per cent solid waste management but in ground nothing much is being done in Tura town. Last year, awareness programme were held to propagate the message of solid waste management but it is surprising to note that till date there is no measure to segregate waste at the dumping ground in Rongkhon Songgitalgre.

A visit to the dumping ground in Tura town gives testimony of how poorly waste is managed. Audit report of 2014-15 stated that 9.69 crore has been spent for garbage disposal facility in Nongpoh and Tura town.

As per 2011 census, Tura town has a population of about 73,000, which has increased as of now. Presently, TMB has 32 concrete dustbins, which means a dustbin for 2500 plus population. About 16 movable iron dustbins have been kept without use at the dumping ground in Rongkhon Songgitalgre.-From Our Correspondent

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