BHUBANESWAR: With pandal hopping reaching its peak in the city, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday appealed to all Durga Puja committees and revellers to cooperate with the civic body in maintaining cleanliness in and around the mandaps as well as other parts of the state capital and ensure a plastic-free Dussehra celebration.
“It is our responsibility to discourage the use of single-use plastics and keep the puja pandals clean,” said mayor Sulochana Das in her appeal to the public. She said the civic body has issued guidelines in this regard and urged all puja organisers to comply with the rules.
Additional commissioner of BMC Suvendu Kumar Sahu said all puja committees have been urged to keep the area within five metre radius of their pandals and ground clean. The organisers were also asked not to use any artificial plastic flower in garlands during the puja and distribute prasad in leaf plates. They were urged to restrict vendors who have put up stalls around pandals from using single-use plastic items including thermocol cutlery.
The civic body has also urged the puja committees to keep large dustbins around the pandals and hand over waste generated at the place to BMCs’ garbage collection vehicles.
Sahu said squads formed by the BMC will carry out enforcement against single-use plastic during the festival.
Secretary of Old Station Bazaar Sarbajanin Durga Puja Samiti Deepak Kumar Jena said keeping in view the emphasis on plastic-free celebrations, they have decided not to accept any offering for ‘bhog’ in polythene bags at the pandal.
Durga Puja is being organised at 187 places across the city this year.