Festive leftovers choke city

The party’s over, but who’s going to clean up the mess? Ice-cream cups, pop corn wraps, plastic packets, mineral water bottles, flowers, festoons....The four days had seen thousands of revellers taking to the streets and now the city’s choking with festive leftovers.
Just as Kolkata had ducked all work and gone into a festive mode last week, those responsible for keeping the city clean had also gone on a holiday.The result: promontories of garbage at every corner!
Although Rajib Deb, member, mayor-in-council, conservancy, Kolkata Municipal Corporation, says his boys worked round the clock in three shifts to keep the city clean during the Puja days, not everyone is willing to buy this.
“From Saptami onwards the conservancy department people stopped coming to our house to collect garbage,� said Biren De, a north Kolkata resident.
According to the conservancy department of KMC, the solid waste generation and disposal in Kolkata is 2,000 mt on an average which is now around 3,500 mt after the Puja.
“We know that a huge amount of solid waste is generated during and after the Puja. I have already sent instructions to all of our controlling officers regarding this. They have started clearing garbage generated from roadside food stalls and eateries. Though the pandals will be there till Lakshmi Puja, we have told the organisers to make sure their surrounding areas are kept clean,� said Deb.
Areas like Hatibagan, Bagbazar, Beadon Street, Vivekananda Road, Kalighat, Harish Mukherhjee Road, Diamond Harbour Road and Kidderpore will be specially affected as immersion processions will ply through these areas. “The solid waste generation in these areas will remain very high till Tuesday,� said a senior KMC official.
From Monday, three of KMC’s departments — conservancy, roads, parks and gardens — worked together to clear some of the mess but the city will breathe fresh only after Wednesday, say KMC officials.
“The ghats are our major concern because the pollution level increases during these days. This year, I asked the people not to dump flowers into the water. But there are many who are still not listening to us,� said Subrata Mukherjee, mayor.