Martyrs’ Day rally: KMC deploys mechanical sweepers to clean city

Kolkata: With water pouches and plastic bottles scattered in the streets of the city after the Martyrs’ Day event, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) deployed mechanical sweepers for its cleaning drive and aims to clear all the waste by Friday night.

Most of the waste was found littered in the Dharmatala area where the event was held. People from all corners of the state had poured in via trains and buses. Food packets and water sachets were found scattered on the roads leading to Esplanade. Ahead of the meeting, the KMC had conducted an initial cleaning drive at Chowringhee, Jawaharlal Nehru Road and Park Street.

Debabrata Mazumdar, member mayor in council (MMIC) of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) department of KMC said that the civic body has deployed mechanical sweepers to remove the waste. He said such sweeping machines had already been stationed at certain points to ensure cleaning starts as soon as possible. He said the city streets would be cleaned by Friday night.

An official said that cleaning was also being done throughout the day as teams of SWM workers had been deployed in several areas, especially in the heart of the city, at Dharmatala. Waste bins had also been placed in this area. The civic body had kept in place six mechanical sweepers. Since there was a heavy rainfall prediction for the day, the civic body had also kept their fleet of gully pit emptier machines ready for the smooth flow of rain and waste water.