india

Updated: Jun 16, 2019 11:42 IST

In rural areas of Varanasi, not using a toilet despite having one may soon prove costly for residents.

The Varanasi district administration has warned that it will take action against people in rural areas who have turned toilets constructed under Swachh Bharat Mission into storerooms, five years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the countrywide mission.

“It has come to light that several people in rural pockets are storing wood or waste material in toilets, instead of using toilets for the purpose they were built for,” district magistrate Surendra Singh said.

The administration would first serve a notice on such people, asking to mend their ways.

A further notice would be issued to those who fail to mend their ways, asking why the amount spent on construction of the toilet should not be recovered from the person if he is not using toilet.

For those who still don’t fall in line even after the notices, a financial penalty will be slapped but it will not be very high. As a last resort, the administration may decide to recover the amount from the person not using the toilet.

The DM has instructed the district panchayati raj officer to make the teams of Swachchagrahis (cleanliness volunteers) in every developmental block to find people not using toilets and later serve them notice.

During an inspection in Telahi village, the DM found wood and waste material stored in toilets. He called the owners and asked them to mend their ways.