National Human Rights Commission has asked the Odisha Government to furnish an action taken report on alleged inefficacy of ‘bio-toilets’ developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and lack of adequate toilets leading to mass open defecation in Bhadrak district. The Commission issued the notice after taking cognisance of a petition of Radhakant Tripathy, a human rights activist. “Villagers are reluctant to use the bio-toilets claiming that they lack required facilities. Villagers complain the toilets installed in the village lack water supply. They say it does not have a space for ventilation. They are so cramped that it is difficult to get inside and sit there,” Mr. Tripathy pointed out. He informed that toilets were used only for couple of days after their installation and almost all of them were abandoned. It needs to be mentioned that two years ago in 2012, then Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh had launched bio-toilets based on bio-digesters technology. He had then announced that the pilot project was to be scaled up at a cost of Rs. 400 crore. The activist said villagers had complained that even though toilets had been non functional for more than a year, nobody from government had ever inquired about it. The department of Rural Development had installed dozens of bio-toilets in parts of Dhamra and Basudevpur block and had announced more such units along 60-km long Dhamra-Jamdihi defence road. “The inaction of the government to renovate or repair these toilets and failure of the government to install toilets with ventilation facilities forces locals especially women to defecate in the open. This is not an abominable phenomenon, but also serious case of violation of human rights. The Commission should take the issue of open defecation seriously,” Mr. Tripathy submitted in his petition. He demanded the abandoned toilets should be removed and new toilets be constructed at same place. Villagers are reluctant to use the bio-toilets claiming that they lack required facilities