Mysore/Mysuru: Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde has suggested to the Karnataka State Safai Karmachari Commission to recommend the use of the word ‘machinehole’ instead of ‘manhole’ in the wake of use of machinery to clean underground drainage.

He was speaking at the inauguration of a day-long certified training on Safety Measures, Legal Norms and Manual Scavenging Act, 2013, along with validation for Safaimitra organised by MCC at the Town Hall in city yesterday.

He said the Corporation has purchased adequate number of machinery to check Safai Karmacharis from entering inside manhole to clean the choked drainage. Besides, a lot of welfare measures have been launched for the families of Safaimitras. The demands of Safai Karmacharis such as hike in breakfast allowance and transfer of salary to bank accounts would be considered. There was no shortage of machinery to clean sewer lines, he added.

Invent new machinery

M. Shivanna, Chairman, Karnataka State Safai Karmachari Commission, said the Department of Management Studies at Indian Institute of Science, has been requested to explore possibilities of new machinery to clean sewer lines instead of using people. It was heartening to note that the MCC has sufficient number of modern equipment to undertake this work. Despite banning manual scavenging by enacting legislation in 2013, the number was increasing in the State. Authorities of all Urban Development bodies have been strictly told to discourage manual scavenging failing which action would be taken against officials concerned, he added.

He said National Law School of India (NLSI) has submitted a report highlighting problems of Pourakarmikas in the State. According to the report, only 4 percent of Pourakarmikas have availed benefits since Independence. A lot of programmes have been chalked out for the betterment of Safai Karmacharis and the same would be brought to the notice of Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to release funds.

Kousalya, Assistant Engineer, MCC-UGD, Dr. K. Obalesh, State Convener, Safai Karmachari Kaavalu Samiti, Gopi, Chairman, Standing Committee on Health, MCC, N. Maara, Pourakarmika leader and M.C. Srinivas, Executive Engineer, MCC, were present.