A 1,150-strong workforce of sanitary employees has been engaged in a mammoth cleaning exercise since Monday to sweep up the waste generated on the day of Maha Deepam (Sunday) in Tiruvannamalai town.
About 70% of the 210 metric tonnes of waste generated on the auspicious day in the town, including the Girivalam path, have been removed, said official sources. Around 30% of it is made up of food waste, and the remaining includes coconut leaves, paper plates, cups and pet bottles.
Of the total sanitary employees, 330 workers are from the Tiruvannamalai municipality, while 360 of them are from the remaining 21 municipalities, including Ambur, Arcot, Arani, Arakkonam, Polur, Vandavasi, Vaniyambadi and Gudiyatham in the Vellore municipal region.
More than 65 garbage vehicles have also been deployed to remove the waste.
The amount of waste generated this Maha Deepam almost doubled against last year’s figure of 130 metric tonnes. “Our sanitary employees have been working tirelessly to make the town garbage-free. It will take another two days to complete the job,” N. Dakshnamurthy, Commissioner, Tiruvannamalai municipality, told The Hindu.
Every day, on an average, 65-70 metric tonnes of waste are generated in the town, which comprises over 1,200 streets in 39 wards. Of the total 14.20 kms, 6.20 kms of the Girivalam path in the town also comes within the limits of the civic body.
Municipal officials said large quantities of food waste were produced as a result of over 440 food spots operating for free against the permitted number of 240 free food points. 112 of them operated within the municipality limits.
Most of the collected wastes are being dumped at the 15-acre landfill near the Girivalam path. Food waste will be recycled to make organic manure for farming and terrace gardens in Tiruvannamalai. Prior to Maha Deepam, the municipal officials had said that 4,820 persons, including 3,225 sanitary employees, were called into action to clean the entire town ahead of the mega event.
