Odisha's Jagatsinghpur municipality ropes in SHGs roped for sanitation work

This apart, the Jagatsinghpur municipality will introduce night sweeping to clean up the streets, markets and public places in the town.
File photo of women SHG members in a training camp in Jeypore, Odisha. ( Photo | Express)
File photo of women SHG members in a training camp in Jeypore, Odisha. ( Photo | Express)

JAGATSINGHPUR: In a major step towards inclusion of women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in all its works, Jagatsinghpur Municipality has decided to engage them in sanitation job to make the town clean.

This apart, the civic body will introduce night sweeping to clean up the streets, markets and public places in the town.

Four SHGs will be pressed into the service on an experimental basis in four wards - Markandpur (2 and 3), College Chowk (4) and Court Chowk (5).

Depending on their performance and public response, women SHGs will be engaged in the rest 17 wards. Their daily wages will be fixed as per labour laws.

Sanitation workers of the contract agency would not be engaged in these four wards, municipality officials said.

As many as 12 SHGs have expressed their interest to take up the cleanliness work. Of these, four SHGs will be shortlisted soon.

Sources said as per provisions, 28 sanitation workers are required for a cluster of population of 10,000. The municipality, having population of about 35,000, does not have adequate number of sweepers.

This apart, there are no staffers for collection of garbage and plastics. Considering the situation, the civic body has decided to rope in women SHGs for the cleanliness drive.

Earlier this month, the state government had asked all the district collectors for provisioning of services and procurement of goods through SHGs besides convergence of Mission Shakti with different departments.

Municipality Executive Officer Baladev Behera said four women SHGs will be engaged for sanitation work from July 1.

“We have identified four wards where night sweeping will be carried out by these women SHGs. They will start sweeping after 9 pm,” he added.

Meanwhile, the municipality has identified a patch of land at Kantaballavpur to set up a dumping yard, but construction work was delayed due to protest from villagers. 

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