As many as 69,418 toilets have been constructed in Chikkamagaluru district. Toilets have been sanctioned to 6,196 houses and the money will be released to the beneficiaries immediately, said ZP CEO Satyabhama.
Speaking at the World Toilet Day programme on Monday, she said the district is in the 11th position in the construction of toilets in the state. There has been an increase in the atrocities on women and children in the places where open defecation is common. The government has been striving to declare all the districts and taluks as free from open defecation.
MLA D S Suresh said, "Tarikere taluk was declared as free from open defecation in 2017. In spite of it, toilets are not used by several residents. The officials should motivate the residents to make use of the toilet facilities. There is a need to create awareness on sanitation and cleanliness."
ZP President Sujatha Krishnappa said that the zilla panchayat will organise public contact programmes to reach out to the people.