Thanjavur clears 300 tonnes of Deepavali waste

As many as 550 workers were deployed for mass cleaning initially in the main thoroughfares in the city.
Sanitation workers clearing garbage in Thanjavur city on Friday, a day after Deepavali | Express
Sanitation workers clearing garbage in Thanjavur city on Friday, a day after Deepavali | Express

THANJAVUR: Work after Deepavali celebrations commences early in the day for sanitation workers compared to other days. Also, they make sure they wear protective gear such as gloves and gumboots to avoid sharp items or unexploded crackers from injuring them.

“On regular days, the sanitation workers commence duty at 5.30 am. But on days after a festival, it starts at 4.30 am itself,” said a sanitary supervisor, adding that there have been instances in the past where unexploded crackers have injured sanitation workers while collecting waste. This year, however, there were no such incidents due to rain.  Besides, clearing waste generated by bursting crackers gives the workers a tough time. Areas like Gandhiji Road, Anna Salai, South Main Street, old bus stand area, South Rampart had makeshift shops on the eve of Deepavali and there were huge mounds of waste.

Waste was littered all around the city in all the 51 wards, officials told TNIE. As many as 550 workers were deployed for mass cleaning initially in the main thoroughfares in the city. After doing the job, the workers got back to their routine of collecting garbage door-to-door in assigned areas.

According to sources, on Friday alone around 300 tonnes of garbage were collected and transported in 40 vehicles to the compost yards.

“Normally on an average 110-120 tonnes of garbage will be generated in Thanjavur city. After Deepavali, three times of the normal quantity was collected”, said S Namasivayam, City Health Officer.

Meanwhile, a sanitation worker said that large quantities of waste are generated on three occasions in the year -- Ayudha pooja, Deepavali and Pongal. Though the workers do extra time following these festivals, even if it was a government holiday as this Friday, they were not given any additional incentive, he rued. He wants the State government and the Corporation to consider paying incentives for such kind of additional work.

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