New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday announced a scheme in which people in unauthorised colonies can get their septic tanks cleaned for free. There are around 1,700 unauthorised colonies in Delhi and around 430 have sewer lines. In rest of the colonies, people have septic tanks, which they get cleaned by hiring private parties. Many times people die while cleaning these septic tanks and this is a big step in making Delhi clean and putting an end to sewer deaths, he said. The contractors or private companies that engage these people are not registered. These companies dump the sludge in drains, contaminating the Yamuna river, Kejriwal said. The Delhi government will get the septic tanks cleaned for free, he said. He said the government will hire an agency to clean the septic tanks in unauthorised colonies and a tender will be floated within a month. DJB trucks will collect the sludge from these septic tanks and take it to sewage treatment plants. Any person can put in a request to get the septic tank cleaned by calling a phone number, he said.

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