Seeking to improve its ranking in the Swachh survey and get an ODF++ status, 39 senior SDMC officials, including the municipal commissioner, are inspecting toilet facilities in south Delhi and monitoring their condition, officials said on Thursday.

Each official has been assigned four public toilets for inspection, they said.

The decision has been taken ahead of the Swachh Bharat survey, besides the Open Defecation Free ++ (ODF++) status that the South Delhi Municipal Corporation is eyeing.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will appoint a third party inspection team and the inspection will be held from the third week of February, according to an SDMC order dated February 15.

ODF++ is an extension of ODF scheme and focuses on toilets with sludge and septage management.

In view of Swachh Survekshan 2021, SDMC's Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, additional commissioners and other senior officials have been inspecting public toilets in SDMC areas for the past several days, at least twice a week, the civic body said in a statement.

''A total of 39 officials have been assigned the duty to ensure compliance with the scheme to ensure proper cleanliness and required facilities at public toilets,'' it said. The officials have also been providing information related to maintenance of public toilets to deputy commissioners (DCs) of respective zones. They have also been asked to check sanitation and cleanliness of markets, public places, etc. located near these toilet complexes, it said.

A recent order has stated that issue of maintenance of public toilets, community toilets in SDMC areas is a very important aspect of providing hygiene and clean public conveniences facilities to residents of Delhi, Rajiiv Jain, a nodal officer of Swachh Bharat Mission, was quoted as saying in the statement.

He said the civic agency is making all efforts to improve its ranking in Swachh Survekshan 2021 and to get ODF++ certification.

Hence, the SDMC commissioner himself decided to inspect the facilities.

Jain said the SDMC is ''ensuring proper cleanliness and hygiene at nearly 500 public toilets in areas falling under its jurisdiction''.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)