Swachh city sets 34 minutes cleanliness record after celebrations

Indore: As the sun set over the historic Rajwada Palace on Sunday, over 5 lakh people left behind a landscape buried under thousands of tonnes of wet gulal, discarded footwear and drenched clothes. In any other city, this would have been a week-long clean-up nightmare.But, in Indore — the nation's eight-time cleanliness champion — it took around 34 minutes to restore the heart of the city to its pristine state.The traditional Rangpanchmi Gair procession transformed Rajwada into a colourful battlefield of joy. Thousands of kilograms of Tesu flower gulal and lakhs of litres of water were sprayed from high-pressure cannons, leaving the streets coated in thick sludge.However, as the final float passed the Rajwada square, the celebration of colours transitioned instantly into a celebration of civic discipline.Under the direct supervision of mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava and IMC commissioner Kshitij Singhal, a pre-positioned ‘cleanliness strike force' moved in with military precision.The force included over 400 dedicated safai mitras (sanitation workers), 10 mechanical sweeping machines, six earth movers, seven dumpers, three long-hauling vehicles, 30 open waste-collection vehicles and three tractors. 20 high-pressure jet machines were used to scrub the stains of gulal from the historic pavements.By the time the clocks hit around the half-hour mark, the Rajwada area and the surrounding five km route were spotless. Around a dozen truckloads of sludge, discarded footwear and plastic waste were removed and transported to processing plants."This is the especiality of Indore and the Indore Municipal Corporation. While we celebrate our traditions with unparalleled enthusiasm, we never compromise on our commitment to the environment and cleanliness," said the mayor.The success of this operation lies in the long hauling strategy, where waste is not just moved but immediately evacuated from the site. Singhal and additional commissioner Prakhar Singh said the waste management plan was as detailed as the security plan, with specific teams assigned to different segments of the route to ensure no corner is left unattended. "Rangpanchami's record-breaking clean-up serves as a reminder that for Indoreans cleanliness is not a chore — it is a matter of the city's pride," the commissioner said.