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Nagpur: The glitter of Diwali celebrations left a not-so-sparkling aftermath on Nagpur’s streets as over 200 tonnes of waste piled up in just two days. From bustling markets to residential bylanes, the festive fervor brought a surge in shopping and fireworks, which translated into a massive cleanup challenge for the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC).
Working around the clock, NMC’s sanitation team tackled this enormous load. With 90 night-shift workers focused on market areas and over 5,500 workers covering the rest of the city by day, efforts were ramped up to restore order amid piles of discarded packaging and firecracker remnants.
“Typically, we manage around 77 tonnes from markets and 64 tonnes through street cleaning daily,” noted Dr. Gajendra Mahalle, chief sanitation officer, “but the post-Diwali waste increase was unprecedented.”
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Thursday 21 Nov. 2024
Areas such as Itwari, Mahal, and Dhantoli saw particular strain, as paper boxes, plastic bags, and firecracker fragments filled every corner, especially in narrower lanes. Despite the challenge, the NMC’s determined response ensured that Nagpur was restored quickly, with over 200 tonnes of waste removed by the end of the two-day operation.
The question remains: can future celebrations balance joy with responsibility, keeping Nagpur’s streets cleaner and safer?
