Jaridih East gets a brand-new CSC

The people of Jaridih East Gram Panchayat (GP) in Block of district in owe a debt of gratitude to their women leaders. Efforts of those women have resulted in a beautifully painted community sanitary complex (CSC) close to the famous Damodar Nath temple which will go a long way to prevent open defecation.

Consisting of 712 households and a population of 5089, the GP that is located 35 km away from the Block headquarters is frequented by visitors from within the district and elsewhere all through the year. During Makar Sakranti every year, a two-day fair is held which attracts large crowds to the temple situated on the banks of , a little above its point of confluence with . Under those circumstances, there was an urgent need for a community sanitary complex.

To address this, the Gram Panchayat Mukhiya-Cum-President of Village Water and Sanitation Committee-Jaridih East - Smt. Kanchan Devi and Jal Sahiya-Cum-Treasurer - Smt. Sunita Devi called for a Gram Sabha that provided an opportunity to discuss the actual requirement of CSC close to the Damodar Nath temple to keep the surrounding area clean. With the involvement of the Damodar Nath Temple Committee, it was unanimously decided to construct a CSC.

The entire process was supported by Mr. Goswami, District Coordinator (Sanitation and Hygiene), Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen, District Water and Sanitation Mission Prakalp- Bokaro. As soon as he received the proposal for a CSC, he passed it on to the District Water and Sanitation Committee-Bokaro which approved of the same and sanctioned financial support. Thereafter, the District Coordinator, mobilized the community to ensure their support for effective maintenance of CSC through various IEC (Information Education and Communication) activities.

O&M of the CSC is handled by the Damodar Temple Youth Committee which charges a nominal amount for use. Income from the facility is used for periodic maintenance such as repair, painting, and beautification of the CSC premises. Over the next five years, the Jharkhand aims to construct as many as 29,564 CSCs one in each of its 29,564 villages to cater to visitors and crowds that gather at bazaars and haats.