It may be unbelievable for most residents here, but the BMC has declared Mumbai, which has a population of more than 10 million, an open defecation free (ODF) city



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It may be unbelievable for most residents here, but the BMC has declared Mumbai, which has a population of more than 10 million, an open defecation free (ODF) city.

The civic body has sent a letter to the ministry of urban development stating the achievement that many may find difficult to digest. A team of Quality Control of India (QCI) officials that works under the ministry will then visit the city and check the claim and, if all goes well, certify the city as open defecation free.

Also read: Salman Khan to make short film on public defecation

However, the BMC has refused to take responsibility for open defecation taking place in land parcels owned by other government agencies such as the railways, in Aarey Colony, or on Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) land, and the Defence area in south Mumbai. Civic chief Ajoy Mehta has written to the railway authorities to deploy Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel to prevent open defecation in railway premises, especially in Mahim, Bandra and Kurla.

The BMC has written to central agencies in the city asking them to provide land to construct public toilets, but no agency has replied yet. So the BMC has deployed 118 mobile toilets in different parts of the city. Under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, various civic authorities were directed to make their cities open defecation free. Recently, the BMC roped in actor Salman Khan as a brand ambassador for the open defecation free campaign, as part of which he will also be making an ad on the issue.