Overview
- The state’s new heat SOP, released Monday by disaster management minister Girish Mahajan, requires outdoor work to run 6–11 am and 4–8 pm with a compulsory 12–4 pm break during orange and red alerts, with district and city bodies told to issue enforcement circulars.
- The guidelines cover informal, heat‑exposed jobs such as construction, street vending, delivery work, sanitation and traffic duty, and they apply in 15 high‑risk districts in Vidarbha, Marathwada and Khandesh, with activation in other areas including Mumbai when heatwave conditions arise.
- Relief steps include water booths at markets and transit hubs, free ORS electrolyte sachets, afternoon access to parks and temporary shade at labour sites, while clinics must stock ORS and IV fluids, train ASHA workers and pre‑position ambulances for heat illness.
- The government also announced a ₹184 crore Centre of Excellence in Nagpur for training and research on extreme heat and sustainable cooling, signaling a longer‑term push beyond this summer’s operating rules.
- Worker groups and experts say the plan needs enforceable employer duties and social support to prevent lost pay, pointing to delivery workers who report being denied indoor waiting space or free drinking water during the hottest hours.