Sulabh toilet saves Alakh Niranjan's marriage

Women's helpline counsellor Sarita Sajal said Alakh's wife was not ready to live with him due to absence of a toilet. "This case was a peculiar one," she said.

The woman had told the helpline that Niranjan has been beating her for demanding the construction of toilet, Sajal added.

"Since 2009, my husband has been assuring me to construct the toilet but it is yet to be built. Whenever I insisted for it, he thrashed me. Now I have decided not to live with him," Niranjan's wife said.

Niranjan cited the lack of finance. "I failed to build the toilet due to financial problems but will do it now to save our marriage," Niranjan had said.

Sajal said the couple had been summoned in end-May to resolve the dispute - but this won't now be necessary.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced last November that his government was committed to providing toilets to all. He said open defecation was an affront to human dignity and the government will ensure that this problem is addressed soon.

Bihar has a population of over 105 million, of whom 21.9 million lack toilet facilities. The central government had planned to construct 11.1 million toilets in the state in 2013 but this is yet to fructify.