A serving police officer has gone beyond the call of duty to transform a tribal hamlet, located 100 km from the city, with the help of Project Rise, the philanthropic wing of the Dawoodi Bohra community.

Bhotal pada, a tribal hamlet in Daghe, Palghar, has a population of over 130 people, who have been practising open defecation for years. Sachin Pachalkar, a graduate, residing in Bhotal pada, said the hamlet had a single toilet, but since it has no door or roof, people seldom used it, and instead preferred venturing into the nearby forest area. “During monsoon, women and young girls would find it difficult to venture into the forest area, especially late in the night, fearing attack by crawling creatures, including snakes.  Many educated girls, who would marry men from our pada, would express their disagreement if the family didn’t have a toilet in their home,” said Pachalkar. While nearby villages had toilets constructed as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Mission, Bhotal pada’s application remained in the files of the local Gram panchayat office, he said.