With the Swachh Survekshan inspection team expected to visit Bhopal anytime between Holi and Rangpanchami, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday promised a ramping up of cleanliness efforts, deploying 10,000 workers and officials after the celebrations to clear waste and maintain the city’s sanitation rankings.
As the city soaks in the festive colours, the civic body will remain on high alert. The clean-up drive will include door-to-door waste collection and, for the first time, the collection of colour-stained clothes from households. Officials estimate around six quintals of fabric will be gathered and recycled at a new processing station in Anna Nagar.
Bhopal generates 900 tonnes of waste daily, a figure that can rise to 1,700 tonnes during festivities. To manage this surge, 465 garbage collection vehicles will be mobilised. The Municipal Commissioner has also ordered immediate removal of waste piles, ensuring that public spaces remain clean after celebrations.
A Rs 100-crore beautification drive has given the city new roads, painted walls, fountains, and decorative lighting. However, concerns remain over potential vandalism during Holi. To counter this, ward-level teams will monitor activities, with CCTV surveillance ensuring action against miscreants damaging public property.
In the run up to the festival, Municipal Commissioner Harendra Narayan has inspected key locations, including Link Road, Board Office Square, and Bharat Talkies Bridge, directing teams to maintain Holi bonfire sites, repair roads along procession routes, and remove unauthorised posters and banners.
The multi-crore facelift accorded to Bhopal ahead of the Global Investors Summit has provided a much-needed boost to the city’s sanitation efforts, leaving both citizens and administrators hopeful of an improved performance in this year’s Swachh Survekshan rankings.
