Sulabh constructs 108 toilets in Uttar Pradesh villages

Lucknow, Aug 24: NGO Sulabh International has constructed 108 toilets in a Uttar Pradesh village where two minor girls were allegedly gang raped, killed and their bodies hung from a tree while they were going to relieve themselves in the fields at night.

Sulabh founder Bindeshwar Pathak said the toilets built in several homes of Katra Sadatganj village in Badaun district will be handed over to the villagers Aug 31.

"The growing incidences of crime against women while they go to answer nature's call in the open had been worrying us and the Badaun incident expedited our commitment to build low-cost toilets for such people in the country's countryside," Patahak told IANS.

NGO's spokesman Madan Jha said the 108 toilets have been built as part of Sulabh's "Toilet for All Homes" campaign.

Sulabh has already adopted the village as a tribute to the two girls, Pathak said.

Pathak plans to set up a vocational training institute there. "It will go a long way in improving the plight of women in the area and make them self-reliant," he said.

He added that the institute will teach girls how to use sewing machines, computers, embroidery equipment and machines, besides making papad, pickles and other items which will help them to earn.

Sulabh also plans to adopt a school and refurbish it. In the past one year, many sexual assault cases have been reported from Uttar Pradesh villages, leading to growing concerns from society and the government on eradicating the practice of defecating in the open.

IANS