Chennai:
The Tamil Nadu government has invited tenders to procure 13 modern machines for cleaning underground sewer lines in Perambur, following a direction from Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board plans to acquire desilting machines, jet-rodding machines and super suckers to improve sewer maintenance. The procurement will be funded through the constituency allocation. Mechanised cleaning is expected to reduce the need for sanitation workers to enter underground sewers, where they face the risk of toxic gases and other life-threatening hazards.