Explanation:

The Maharashtra government has directed all civic bodies in the state to set up Emergency Response Sanitation Units (ERSUs) to ensure safeguards for sanitation workers who clean manholes and sewers. The municipal commissioner of the civic body concerned will be the Responsible Sanitation Authority (RSA). The ERSU should be headed by a senior civic officer and other civic officers should be on the ERSU advisory board to decide the standard operating procedure (SoP) for workers who enter manholes for cleaning purposes. The civic body will also have to set up a dedicated toll-free number for the ERSU. The unit will impart training to sanitation workers. Only workers trained and certified by an ERSU will be able to clean sewers, but the priority will be on using machines to get such work done. In case a worker dies while cleaning a sewer, the civic body will have to hold an inquiry and register a police complaint.