Phagwara becomes 1st city of Punjab to be open-defecation free

Phagwara, Jul 27: In a bid to eradicate open defecation, Phagwara has become the first city in Punjab to adopt eco-friendly 'Namma' toilet, built at a cost of Rs 18 lakh, under the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.

Officials today said that Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner Jaskiran Singh, accompanied by local Corporation Commissioner Iqbal Singh Sandhu and SDM Balbir Raj Singh, inspected the toilet last evening at Guru Hargobind Nagar market.

Namma is Kannada word which means 'humara' or 'saada' (ours). Namma toilets are easy to construct and are developed in such a way that natural light can be used to maximum extent, they said.

The toilets come with separate units for differently-abled persons. Two more such toilets are under construction to make the city open defecation-free, they said.

In total, Municipal Corporation is spending Rs 113 Lakh for quality public toilets, including three Namma toilets, they said.

The design, that includes natural ventilation and solar panels, was used for the first time in Punjab and Phagwara has become the first city in the State to put it to use, they said.

The fittings used are resistant to vandalism and tampering, and the corners and edges inside the toilets are rounded to stop dirt from collecting, they said. The first Namma toilet will be inaugurated soon, they said.

PTI