Sakal October 2, 2002

Inauguration of toilet blocks in slums.
The MLA Madan Patil and the Mayor Mr. Vijay Dhulubulu will carry out the inauguration of the toilet blocks in Sambhajinagar in Sangkiwadi and Tasgaon Ves in Miraj. This program is being organized as a part of the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations.

This project is an outcome of the collaboration between the local government, a NGO and the local media and the total cost of the projects was Rs.750000. The local NGO Shivsadan carried out the construction. The Canadian Organization Institute on Governance has funded both the projects and is funding similar development projects in Nepal and Sri Lanka. It is expected that these won't be the only projects but all the future development projects in the city in will also be based on similar partnership between the three actors who have come together in this forum.

The women of both the settlements prioritized sanitary blocks in their discussions with SA/ Baandhani .The NGO/CBO partnership facilitated small saving credit groups within these communities, trained them in toilet maintenance and helped build general awareness especially amongst women.

The Sangliwadi toilet block has 12 seats while the one at Miraj has 14. They are 'pay and use' toilets. A biogas plant has been fitted in Sangliwadi where there is no access to city sewers whereas the Tasgaon ves toilet is directly connected to the city sewers.