As Routine Sweeping Fails, NMC Takes Up Deep Cleaning, Lifts 772 Tonnes Waste In 12 Days
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In what is being seen as a desperate firefighting measure, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) was forced to launch a zone-wise drive, a brainchild of additional municipal commissioner Vasumana Pant, after streets across the city remained littered due to negligence by both residents and sanitation workers.
The campaign, which began on June 19, exposed how routine street sweeping was widely ignored in several zones, compelling the Solid Waste Management (SWM) department led by chief sanitation officer Dr Gajendra Mahalle to undertake an intensive clean-up operation.
This involved desilting drains, removing garden and construction waste, and clearing garbage-choked vacant plots.
Pant admitted the campaign was not part of routine planning but was triggered by repeated complaints and public outrage over the filthy conditions in residential localities, marketplaces, and even arterial roads. "Citizens have made it a habit to dump waste, especially construction and demolition debris, on public spaces, despite awareness campaigns.
Equally concerning is the inconsistent street sweeping and absenteeism among ground-level staff," Pant told TOI, adding that show-cause notices were served to sanitation workers who were found skipping duties.
Despite NMC's repeated appeals, many open plots continue to be treated as garbage yards, and public toilets often remain in unhygienic conditions due to misuse and lack of maintenance. The clean-up effort is being accompanied by enforcement, such as penalties imposed by the Nuisance Detection Squad (NDS) against individuals found dumping debris and littering public areas.
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Even as civic officials attempt damage control, the episode highlights the dysfunctional state of everyday sanitation, where routine cleanliness has been replaced by emergency drives, and citizens' carelessness continues to undermine efforts to keep Nagpur clean. NMC has appealed to residents to be responsible partners in cleanliness and to stop treating public spaces as dumping grounds. However, unless accountability is enforced consistently across the sanitation workforce and stricter penalties imposed on habitual offenders, officials fear the situation could deteriorate again — and quickly.
*Campaign highlights*
- 264 construction and demolition (C&D) waste hotspots cleaned
- 164 tonnes of green waste (garden refuse) removed
- A whopping 608 tonnes of general waste lifted
- In total, 772 tonnes of waste was carted out between June 19 and July 1
*Additional drives*
To consolidate gains from the clean-up, NMC will hold "Safai Apnao, Bimari Bhagao" campaign from July 1 to 30, which will include:
- Public toilet sanitation drives
- Handwash awareness in schools
- Swachhata rallies and street plays
- Special deep cleaning of chronic dirty zones
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