Deputy Commissioner and CEO, LAHDC, Kargil, Santosh Sukhadeve discussed the criteria for attaining Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus status in the district on July 25.

Project Officer Wages (ACD), Ghulam Mohammad; Chief Education Officer, Mushtaq Ahmad; Incharge Program Officer, ICDS, Parveen Akhtar; District Panchayat Officer Padma Angmo attended the meeting.

Briefing the DC about the status of activities under SBM G phase II, DPO Padma Angmo said Solid Waste Management Centers (SWMCs) are functioning at Blocks Kargil, Drass, Sankoo, and Zanskar while at GM Pore, the SWMC will start functioning in 2 to 3 days. 

The ODF Plus has to go through two stages, aspiring and rising, to reach the Model phase. The aspiring stage has the criteria to ensure functional toilet facilities for all households in villages, separate toilets for males and females in schools, Anganwadi centres, and panchayat ghar, and arrangement for Solid Waste Management or Liquid Waste Management. 

The Deputy Commissioner instructed the CEO to provide data on schools and the status of toilet facilities on the school premises. Similarly, the DC instructed the concerned officials to provide similar data from Anganwadi centres.

ACD suggested releasing the fund under SAMAGRA with the nomenclature "construction/repair and maintenance" so that toilets could be developed as per the need.

The DC instructed the officials to set a priority of blocks and villages to establish the toilets first in those areas where segregation centres are already functional. 

He emphasized the need to sensitize public and government officials in rural areas to use garbage vehicles to take garbage to the segregation centres for proper disposal.