New Delhi, Nov 20,2020: Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said the Government is committed to ensure that no person needs to enter a sewer or septic tank, unless absolutely unavoidable, in the interest of greater public hygiene.
Launching the Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge at a webinar here, he said, ‘Within this context, we are today setting another milestone by launching the Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge, which aims to ensure that no life of any sewer or septic tank cleaner is ever lost again, owing to the issue of ‘hazardous cleaning’.
This is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, who has always placed the safety and dignity of sanitation workers at the core of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U), added Mr Puri.
He said the Challenge, aptly launched on the occasion of World Toilet Day, is aimed at preventing ‘hazardous cleaning’ of sewers and septic tanks and promote their mechanised cleaning.
The virtual event saw the Chief Secretaries, State Mission Directors and other senior State/ Union Territory and city officials coming together to take a pledge on behalf of 243 cities to mechanise all sewer and septic tank cleaning operations by April 30, 2021, and gave their commitment to work towards preventing any deaths from hazardous entry.
