Agartala, Nov 21 (IANS): The Tripura government has issued a showcause notice to a school teacher for urinating in open.

Teacher Ram Kamal Chakma of Ghagracherra High School was charged by Longtharai Valley Sub-Divisional Magistrate Siddharth Shiv Jaiswal with "urinating in the open near the school kitchen and in front of the students", said Chailengta Educational Inspectorate's (Dhalai District) head of office Paritosh Chandra Das.

"We served a show-cause notice on Chakma last week and asked him to reply why strict disciplinary action should not be taken against him. He apologised for his act," Das said on Thursday.

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A senior official of the Education Department said the government strongly discouraged open urination, defecation and littering and citizens caught in such acts would be fined following directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Despite mass awareness and repeated appeals, the habit of littering of waste, including plastic items in drains and water bodies, and urinating in open places continues to be a problem in the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) areas and urban areas of the state.

"The AMC following the directions of the Tripura High Court had set up around 45 toilets in the city and its outskirts but these are not properly maintained and are shut most times as toilet fittings and water pumps are stolen," Social activist and writer Biswendu Bhattacharjee said.

The public toilets in the capital city are not properly maintained and in the schools, educational institutions, district and sub-divisional towns the number of public toilets are either grossly inadequate or do not exist, he adds.

Four companies under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry had earlier this year announced Rs 80 crore aid for Tripura to make the northeastern state Open Defecation Free (ODF).