BHUBANESWAR: In an eco-friendly waste management initiative, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned to recycle floral waste generated during the upcoming Ganesh Puja celebrations to manufacture incense sticks.
BMC officials said though Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervour every year, the improper disposal of puja materials like flowers and leaves not only disrespect the sentiments of devotees but also create unhygienic conditions in the surroundings. Usually puja mandaps dump such materials along with daily municipal waste or dispose them of under trees, on the roadsides or at river beds in the city.
Hence, in order to reduce such waste and to protect the religious sentiments of the people, the civic body, as part of a special drive has roped in three NGOs for as many zones to exclusively collect the floral waste from the puja mandaps. One vehicle will be provided to each NGO and they will not collect any other waste apart from flowers, garlands and leaves. The materials would then be transported to a plant in Pokhariput and reused to manufacture incense sticks. A senior official will monitor the entire exercise in each zone to ensure the leftover flowers are properly collected from the puja mandaps and transported to the plant here, said the BMC.
The civic body has instructed its sanitary staff and the representatives of the NGOs to conduct intensive information, education and communication (IEC) activities in this regard. They have been tasked to sensitise members of the puja committees to utilise the special service and properly dispose of the waste puja materials at the designated collection points instead of throwing them indiscriminately.
It has also asked the corporators and other community members to disseminate information about this initiative to various puja mandaps here.
The puja committees can avail this service by dialling the dedicated helpline number - 1929. Sources said if the initiative turns out to be successful, it will be continued during the upcoming Durga Puja as well.