TIRUCHY: Yet another Deepavali has passed but little has changed in the city to provide some respite to sanitation workers, as they on Friday went on to start their work at 5.30 am -- as is their routine the day after the festival -- to clear the waste left from the bursting of firecrackers.
While the city usually generates about 460 tonnes of waste per day, sources said that during festivals like Deepavali, it would generate an additional 200 tonnes. Many sanitation workers were hence seen toiling for hours to clear the mess on NSB Road and other streets in the city.
“We started our work a bit early to clear the cracker waste left on several streets in the city. We don’t know when people would stop carelessly bursting crackers by the roadside and other public places,” said Murugan*, a sanitation worker.
Though the government has stipulated time for bursting crackers, many of these ground-level workers believe that it is not enough. They stressed the need for some restriction on cracker use in public places.
“It often takes so much effort to clear the cracker waste from the streets. Some people even used them near the private hospital on Mela Chathiram Road. It would be of great help to us if the government bans bursting of firecrackers on roads. But they would never do that as politicians themselves light them by the roadside to welcome their leaders. It would have been a great help if the residents used the crackers only on festival days. For instance, even if we clear the waste from several streets by 11 am on Friday, some would again burst firecrackers there. So it would look as if we have not cleared them,” said Mariamma*, another sanitation worker.
Further, with the entire NSB Road stretch, the entrance of Main Guard Gate, Big Bazaar Street and nearby areas littered with plastic bags and other waste materials on Friday, conservancy staff pointed to the street vendors as being the main offenders.
“Most merchants would store the waste in their shops and would hand it over to us. But hundreds of vendors on NSB Road, Teppakulam and Big Bazaar Street would leave the waste on the road. So the Corporation should consider placing huge dumpsters on NSB Road and nearby areas, at least during festival time, and direct the vendors to dispose of the waste in them,” said Ramesh*.
“Many senior officials would conduct inspections at various hours on Friday to ensure that we have cleared the Deepavali waste. But people would continue littering and bursting firecrackers. So they would make the roads appear as if we have not cleared them and we would face the heat,” rued Vetrivel*, another sanitation worker.
*Names changed on request