Coimbatore Corporation to talk to corporate houses to fast track Swachh Bharat campaign

Coimbatore Corporation plans to track Corporate Social Responsibility (wp) funds allocated by corporate houses to fast track the construction of toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission.

According to sources, the Corporation has sent out invites to 60 companies for a meeting on Wednesday to see if they could play a role in speeding up construction. Given the fact that in a few cities, the corporate companies have come forward to bear the entire construction of toilets – the Central Government has fixed Rs. 12,000 a toilet – or supplement the funds from the government, the Corporation has fixed the meeting.

It was also to expedite the construction as the Central Government was keen on kick starting the construction, said the sources adding that Coimbatore was yet to see a toilet built under the Swachh Bharat programme. At the meeting, the Corporation would also handover orders for construction to a few beneficiaries.

The Corporation had thus far identified 2,000 beneficiaries. It had cleared the applications of over 1,300 beneficiaries. It was also getting more applications. The sources said that the Central Government had not put a cap on the number of applications the Corporation could approve of or in other words, the number of toilets that could be built under the scheme in the city.

The Centre contributed Rs. 4,000 for a toilet with the State Government and the urban local body concerned – in this case the Coimbatore Corporation – contributing Rs. 2,000 each. The government would release the first instalment after the beneficiary completed the sub structure. And, the Corporation would release the final instalment after field inspection and online update with picture of the toilet constructed.

Who’s eligible

House owners with land to their name are eligible. The land should be free of disputes. House owners could also apply for additional toilets if there are more than two or three houses in the compound. People who live on encroached land are ineligible.

How to apply

Those interested may get in touch with the sanitary inspectors of the ward or go to the common service centres in Corporation zonal offices.

(The Hindu)