Ministers inaugurate Corporation’s post-Onam cleaning drive

The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation’s sanitation workers were out in full strength on the city streets on Tuesday night to ensure that the capital remained free of litter on the day after the week-long festivities. The cleaning drive after Onam was akin to the civic body’s drive after Attukal Pongala each year. As soon as the musical concert at Nishagandhi, the last event of the year’s celebrations, got over, the sanitation workers began their work from Kanakakkunnu. Minister for Local Self Governments M.B.Rajesh and Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas inaugurated the cleaning drive in the presence of Mayor Arya Rajendran and other officials around midnight.

As thousands of people have been visiting the major city streets to view the illumination as well as various cultural events, the amount of waste that the sanitation workers had to deal with was enormous. Although waste bins for segregated disposal of waste were placed at most areas, a significant amount of litter was visible on the Kowdiar-Palayam stretch, which was the focus point of the festivities. The workers initially collected the bottles and other waste materials from the road, which was later removed in trucks. After this, blower machines were deployed to remove the dust and smaller waste materials. The major roads were later washed down. The cleaning activities went on till early morning. The Corporation had deployed sanitation workers on all days of the week-long festivities to remove the litter from the streets.