Odisha sets up ERSUs for manual scavengers; informs HC

BHUBANESWAR, Odisha: The Government of Odisha has informed the state High Court of establishing Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) in all urban local bodies (ULBs) to ensure the elimination of manual scavenging and that all safety protocols prescribed for undertaking hazardous operations are in place.

Manual scavenging is prohibited in the country in compliance with the Prohibition of Employment of Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. Odisha Government submitted its affidavit in response to a PIL registered under the title “Deaths of Sanitation Workers” after two lives were lost in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

Durgesh Nandini Sahoo, Additional Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, filed the affidavit when the court asked about the status of compliance with the standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the Government of India with regards to cleaning of sewers and septic tanks in Odisha.

The affidavit also informed about the functioning of the ERSU, which is headed by a responsible authority. Apart from that, private organisations providing sanitation services have also been registered with ULBs. In Addition to ERSU, the state government has launched a scheme titled ‘Garima’ to ensure the safety and dignity of the sanitation workers who come in direct contact with faecal matter regularly.