Sanitation workers remove 800 tonnes of garbage for Tiruchirappalli Corporation after Deepavali celebrations

TIRUCHIRAPPALLI: Deepavali, one of the major Hindu festivals, was celebrated with great enthusiasm across the world on Sunday. People marked the occasion by bursting firecrackers, enjoying fireworks and lighting sparklers, largely adhering to government-prescribed time restrictions.

Ahead of the festival, commercial establishments and hundreds of temporary pavement shops witnessed heavy business in several areas surrounding the historic Rockfort in Tiruchirappalli, including NSB Road, Teppakulam, Periyakadai Veethi, Chinnakadai Veethi, Melapulivaar Road and College Road.

With people making large purchases of clothes and other essential items during the final phase of Deepavali shopping, particularly at discounted prices, huge quantities of garbage have accumulated across the busy shopping areas.

Tiruchirappalli City Corporation, which collects around 480 tonnes of garbage daily from its 65 wards, has intensified its post-Deepavali sanitation operations.

Garbage generated during the festival includes discarded polythene covers, plastic bags, paper waste, empty firecracker and sweets boxes, firecracker remnants and used banana leaves. Sanitation workers are engaged in clearing the accumulated waste from major commercial streets and shopping areas.

While around 780 tonnes of garbage were removed following Deepavali celebrations last year, the Corporation has undertaken an intensive operation to clear approximately 800 tonnes of waste this year.

Around 400 sanitation workers have been deployed exclusively in areas including Rockfort, Singarathope, Super Bazaar, Periyakadai Veethi, Chinnakadai Veethi and Gandhi Market Road.

In addition, a total of 1,150 sanitation workers have been engaged across Tiruchirappalli city to ensure the removal of festival waste and restore cleanliness.

Last year, rainfall created difficulties for sanitation workers in clearing the accumulated garbage. However, the absence of rain this year has enabled workers to carry out the cleaning operations at a faster pace.

The Corporation is continuing its large-scale cleaning drive to restore normalcy in the city's busy commercial areas following the Deepavali festivities.