NEW DELHI: Concerned about ugly stains of paan and gutkha in buildings, the government has issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for their removal every week. The SOPs for “Swachh Office” also suggests ensuring supply of 45 litres water per head per day and urinal facilities based on employee strength besides deploying two vacuum cleaners per building or wing.
The urban development ministry on Monday issued the SOPs coinciding with the launching of “Swachh Office Drive”, which will continue for a fortnight. UD minister M Venkaiah Naidu inspected Nirman Bhawan for about an hour for an on-the-spot assessment and directed senior officials to carry out regular inspection for ensuring total sanitation.
It says each department or ministry should carry out assessment of infrastructure gaps so that necessary steps can be taken. The SOPs suggest that there should one toilet seat for every 15 female employees and one for every 25 male employees and the number of urinals should be in proportion to the number of persons working there. It also specifies that electrical fittings should be checked twice a week while acid cleaning and scrubbing of toilets should happen daily.
The SOPs also suggests specifications to keep dustbins both in external areas or open spaces and inside rooms to prevent littering. Every department and ministry has been suggested to ensure sweeping of corridors with disinfectant at least once a day and vacuum cleaning of carpets daily.
“It has been noticed that the level of cleanliness and sanitation being maintained in government buildings is of low standard and there is an urgent need to reform the way these buildings are cleaned to ensure a sustainable and healthy environment,” say the note.
Dipak K Dash| TNN | May 16, 2016, 11.28 PM IST
