26 December,2016 08:40 AM IST | | Laxman Singh
Salman Khan to make a short film to raise a stink about the menace of open defecation; Mumbai likely to be declared open defecation free (ODF) on his birthday on December 27
Half the wards across the city are yet to be declared ODF. Pic for representation/AFP
The next time you see Salman Khan on the big screen, he won't be fighting any goons. Instead, the actor will take on one of the city's worst villains - open defecation.
Also read: Salman Khan starts his campaign to stop open defecation in Mumbai
As the face of the BMC's anti-open defecation drive, Salman will make a short film of 2-3 minutes on the menace. Like the government's anti-tobacco and pulse polio drive ads in the past, this short film will also be screened for cinema audiences before their movie begins. In addition, the ad will also be posted on social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube to reach the masses.
Salman Khan
A senior civic official said, "We have given a script to Salman. He agreed to make the film at his expense and shoot it as soon as possible. In the film, Salman will appeal to people to not defecate in the open, and use the toilets to make the city clean."
Assistant Municipal Commissioner of A-ward, Kiran Dighavkar, who is also in charge of BMC's Swacch Bharat Mission, said, "The short film will be shown in the city's movie theatres. We will also upload it on social media sites to make sure that it reaches more people. This will help in spreading awareness against open defecation."
Birthday present
After Salman was recently roped in as the brand ambassador for this cause, the BMC has also decided to declare Mumbai an open defecation free (ODF) city on his birthday tomorrow.
Also read: Salman Khan surveys loos in Aarey Colony
"Earlier, the plan was to declare it on December 30, but since Salman is the face of the campaign and his birthday is on December 27, we have decided to do it on the same day," said an official.
Municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta confirmed, "We are ensuring that there are enough toilets available at places where citizens defecate in open. Once this is done, we can declare the city open defecation free."
The civic body has identified 118 such areas where open defecation is common.
An official said, "After the declaration is done, the BMC will write to the union ministry of urban development department to inform them about it. Then a team of Quality Control of India (QCI) that works under the ministry will visit the city and check the civic body's claim. After finding the claim true, the team will certify the Mumbai as ODF."
