
BMC removes over 32 tonnes of waste from various religious sites on Day 1 of its special clean-up drive
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Tuesday removed more than 30 tonnes of solid waste from the premises of multiple religious places in Mumbai as part of its special drive to clean up such sites.
According to authorities, 14 tonnes of solid waste materials, 9.6 tonnes of debris, and 9 tonnes of miscellaneous waste were removed from around the premises of these religious places in Mumbai on the first day.
'Usually, the responsibility of cleaning the premises of any religious place lies with the management of that spot, and our responsibility stays limited to the collection of the waste. BMC is doing this drive as a special measure to emphasise areas like cleanliness and hygiene,' said a civic body official.
The special drive will be held between 9 am to 11 am by 800 sanitation workers, and 60 solid waste management (SWM) collection vehicles every day, and will continue till May 9. Officials said this timeline has been chosen since the footfall of devotees is usually low during this period.
The Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumba Devi, and Haji Ali Dargah have been shortlisted by the authorities for the cleanliness drive.
The cleanliness drive includes the cleaning of the outer premises of the site, washing of the stairs, parking lots and walkways. Civic authorities said they will also carry out segregation of solid waste, following which the waste items will be transported to disposal facilities.
The initiative is part of BMC's Clean Mumbai campaign, which was announced by then chief minister Eknath Shinde last year. As part of this campaign, the civic body has taken up systemic cleaning of prominent places in Mumbai.

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