WATCO engages Transgenders to Manage Water Treatment Plant
Bhubaneswar: April 14: In yet another pioneering move towards giving transgender community is a bigger role in governance, Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO) on Wednesday handed over operation and maintenance (O&M) of one of its Water Treatment Plants (WTP) located at Pratapnagari, Cuttack to the transgender Self Help Group (SHG).
With an aim to ensure community engagement in Drinking Water Supply Management, WATCO has engaged Women SHG members earlier as Jalsathi in Urban Local Bodies (ULB), which became an example country-wide and applauded by the Central Govt. as well as other State Govts.
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31 members of the Transgender SHG from Cuttack got trained thoroughly for 12 days on leadership as well as onsite various technical aspects of operation & maintenance of the Water Treatment Plant including the Intake Well. Now the trained members of the SHG will be responsible for day-to-day operation and maintenance of the 8 MLD Water Treatment Plant in Pratapnagari.
After signing the contract with the Bahuchara Mata Transgender SHG, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of WATCO Er. Pradipta Kumar Swain said “WATCO will continue to provide hand-holding assistance and technical support to the SHG during the agreement period. Upon satisfactory performance of this experiment, which is the first of its kind in entire country, we will be delighted to hand over more such responsibilities to the transgender SHGs in other ULBs”.
During the Contract signing ceremony held at WATCO Corporate Office, Bhubaneswar, among other dignitaries, Ms. Tanushree Behera and Ms. Sheetal Kinnar, President and Secretary of Bahuchara Mata Transgender SHG, Cuttack; Er. Sarat Mishra, Managing Director, WATCO; Er. Debabrata Mohanty, General Manager, WATCO Division, Cuttack and Mr. Shyamal Kishore, Public Relations Officer, WATCO were present.
The Bahuchara Mata Transgender SHG is registered under the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) and already engaged in operation & maintenance of Matagajpur Septage Treatment Plant (SeTP) managed by Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) since June 2020.
WATCO, a company owned by Govt. of Odisha under Housing & Urban Development Department, is now responsible for drinking water supply and waste water related services in 17 ULBs in Odisha.
