HYDERABAD: In a bid to work towards safeguarding environmental quality, public health, compliance with Swachh Survekshan protocols and in order to achieve Parisubramina Pattanalu of ‘Pattana Pragathi Programme’, the Government of Telangana has announced scheduled desludging across its 142 urban local bodies (ULBs). Telangana has become the first state in the country to notify scheduled desludging of onsite toilets in all its ULBs.
The scheduled desludging will include geo-tagging of all the septic tanks of residential and institutional areas, and that of public and community toilets in cities. While ULBs are responsible for paying private desludging operators, the cost is to be borne by households, institutions, and commercial establishments. However, to reduce the financial stress on economically marginalized population, a differential pricing structure with pro-poor tariffs has been listed.
The Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) is collaborating with the Government of Telangana as a knowledge partner. ASCI will assist in training and handhold ULBs to ensure proper planning, implementation, and monitoring of the scheduled desludging.