BANGALORE: With criticism pouring in from all corners against manual cleaning of manholes in the city, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has finally placed orders before Tata Motors, Pune, to procure 42 manhole cleaning machines at a cost of Rs 6 crore.
These machines will be mounted on mini trucks and big vehicles and ready for service by July-end. BWSSB has, at present, 28 such machines.
BWSSB has decided to completely do away with manual labour of cleaning drains and manholes, as there were many instances of workers losing their lives following suffocation, while cleaning the gas-filled manholes.
Based on a PIL filed in this connection, the High Court had, in February, directed both Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board and BWSSB to stop manual cleaning, clearing, unblocking of underground drainage lines, pits and septic tanks across the state.