Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has added 300 sanitary workers to its current workforce of 2,000 in an effort to keep the area clean for the approaching Durga Puja celebrations. The goal of the action is to keep the pandals and the space around them pristine throughout the festivities. The city government has also developed tiny vans specifically designed to deliver rubbish to processing companies in order to efficiently handle the disposal of puja floral waste. Larger vehicles could be redirected to help with rubbish disposal, depending on the amount of waste and crowd movement.
“There are a total of 171 pandals across the city. Most pandals will have two sanitation staff, while smaller ones will be assigned one worker. These sanitation teams will regularly clean waste generated near pandals and food kiosks. In line with the civic body’s zero-waste littering policy, no waste will be permitted to accumulate,” said BMC Joint Commissioner Kailash Chandra Das.
Instructing puja committees to place trash cans next to pandals is one of the additional steps. Stationery stores and food vendors have been instructed to keep their own trash cans. Waste will be collected from these containers by sanitation personnel and transported to appropriate trucks. The preventive measures taken by the BMC are intended to guarantee a hygienic and secure atmosphere for both locals and guests during the festival season.
