To ensure the city stays clean during Ganesh Visarjan, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has deployed a workforce of 7,000 sanitation workers who will remain on duty round the clock during the two days of visarjan, Saturday and Sunday. Rajesh Bhagat, Deputy Commissioner, Solid Waste Management, NMC, informed ‘The Hitavada’ that the workers have been stationed at every possible spot, on roads, at Ganesh pandals, and near immersion spots. “The sanitation workers will work for 48 hours during both visarjan days. Since they will not be returning home in between, NMC has made arrangements to provide food and basic facilities, so that they can rest on duty and continue their work efficiently,” informed Bhagat. This year, NMC also introduced a competition among Ganesh mandals to encourage responsible waste management.

 

The mandals that reduced plastic usage, used eco-friendly materials, and ensured proper disposal of waste will be felicitated by the civic body. To ensure compliance, zonal officials were directed to monitor pandals closely. According to Bhagat, the bulk of waste from pandals is mostly generated during ‘mahaprasad’, usually organised in the last two to three days of the 10-day festival. “The real test of waste management will be during mahaprasad and visarjan processions over the weekend,” he noted. Bhagat pointed out that while many pandals are cooperating, citizen responsibility is equally important. “Our sanitation teams will be present everywhere to manage dry and wet waste, but no system can succeed unless citizens themselves avoid littering. People should make an effort to find dustbins and not throw waste on the road or into water bodies,” he appealed. Bhagat also highlighted another challenge. “Some community groups do not inform NMC in advance about their events.

 

This leads to sudden accumulation of disposable plates, cups, confetti and food waste on roads. We then have to rush sanitation teams at short notice, which could be avoided with better communication,” Bhagat added. Ganesh mandals across the city are also stepping up to the cause. Vedant Gotmare, a member of Jaitala Ganesh Mandal, stated, “Since thousands of devotees visited daily, we decided not to organise mahaprasad, as it would have created a huge waste challenge. Instead, we gave daily prasad directly in devotees’ hands without plates. The waste collected was handed over to NMC garbage vans every morning.” Similarly, Amol Joshi of Laxmi Nagar Ganesh Mandal explained how their committee prioritised both celebration and cleanliness. “We formed a separate team for waste management, placed wet and dry waste bins inside the pandal, and used only paper plates.

 

On the day of mahaprasad, we served smaller portions to devotees and kept a refill counter so that food was not wasted. Volunteers were also stationed near disposal bins to politely request devotees to finish their food before throwing,” explained Joshi. The combined efforts of civic workers and citizens can make festivals not just a celebration of faith, but also a model of civic responsibility and environmental consciousness.