100 ULBs of Karnataka to achieve ODF status by year-end

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said as many as 100 urban local bodies (ULBs) will achieve the ‘open defecation free’ (ODF) status by the end of this year.

According to the CM, at present, of the 277 ULBs, 19 of them had attained this ODF status. Representatives of these ULBs were presented with certificates at the launch of phase three of the Rs 2,847-crore Nagarottana project in Bangalore yesterday.

The ULBs that were certified are: Mysuru, Udupi, Mangaluru, Puttur, Virajpet, Karkala, Saligrama, Hassan, Belthangady, Kundapur, Jigani, Anekal, Sringeri, Arsikere, Channarayapatna, Mulgund, Belagavi Cantonment, Holenarsipur and Kudichi.

Siddaramaiah said open defecation was not only unhygienic but also led to environmental degradation. He said that so far, around six lakh toilets had been built under the Swachh Bharath Abhiyan.

“The government aims to make the entire state open defecation-free by October 2, 2019. We will not be able to achieve this if the authorities don’t take their responsibilities seriously,” he added.

Siddaramaiah also took a dig at the Centre for taking full credit for programmes like Swacch Bharath Abhiyan and AMRUT, despite the states sharing 50% of the project cost. He demanded that his government too should be given credit for implementing the programmes.