Bhubaneswar: Lauding efforts of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) for initiating safe faecal sludge management, the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Saturday, congratulated the civic body for making Bhubaneswar the ‘first city’ in the country to launch 24X7 ‘Safai Mitra’ helpline.
Initiated by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Safai Mitra helpline number 14420 is aimed at discouraging usage of manual labour in cleaning of sewage. The ministry had launched the scheme to ensure that no life of any sewer or septic tank cleaner is ever lost again owing to the issue of ‘hazardous cleaning. The scheme is being implemented in five other cities in the country other than Bhubaneswar.
Taking to his official Twitter handle, the Chief Minister said, “People can now call on the toll free number ‘14420’ for more information on safe cleaning of septic tanks/sewers & registering complaint for hazardous cleaning.”
Other than providing information over de-sludge of sewer, the helpline will also be used to gather information for private operators working without the civic authority’s permission or dumping waste in open drains.
Moreover, the Centre will also introduce a review system for the cities that will be judged on the parameters like services, awareness, campaign activity and eco-system.
