GUWAHATI, Nov 8: The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) will deploy more than 3,000 sanitation workers for a post-Diwali clean-up drive across the city, beginning at around 3 am.
The workers will clear discarded banana stems, firecracker waste and other garbage from roads, markets and residential areas after the festival.
Guwahati Mayor Mrigen Sarania said swachh workers and swachh sakhis would join the operation, which would begin between 3 am and 3.30 am.
“More than 3,000 workers, including our swachh workers and swachh sakhis, will be engaged in the drive. We appeal to the people of Guwahati to celebrate a clean Diwali and ensure that banana stems and firecracker waste are not left scattered on roads or dumped into drains,” Sarania said.
He said vendors in Ganeshguri, Paltan Bazar and Fancy Bazar often left unsold banana stems at their vending locations. The stems are traditionally used by households during Diwali to hold earthen lamps.
The GMC will collect usable stems and transport them to the State Zoo or Garbhanga Forest for use as elephant fodder, he said. The civic body will also collect banana stems directly from households to prevent their disposal in drains and public places.
Sarania said additional commissioners, assistant commissioners and GMC engineers had been briefed and assigned responsibilities to oversee the arrangements. He urged residents, vendors and households to dispose of waste responsibly.
