Pune VIDEO: Over 1,000 Workers Clean Up Diwali Firecracker Waste

Pune: While Punekars celebrated Diwali with lights, festivities and firecrackers, the aftermath of the celebrations left sanitation workers with an enormous cleaning task. A day after the Lakshmi Pujan celebrations on Monday, roads, footpaths and public spaces across Pune were littered with firecracker remnants, paper scraps, plastic and discarded puja materials, highlighting the lack of civic responsibility among some citizens.

The situation was particularly evident at SM Joshi Bridge, where large quantities of firecracker waste, packaging material and other garbage were scattered across the road and footpaths. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) sanitation workers were deployed as early as 5am to clear the accumulated waste, with their working hours expected to extend until 3pm or 4pm.

More than 1,000 sanitation workers were deployed across the city to restore cleanliness after the festival, according to a senior PMC official. While citizens enjoyed the festivities with their families, these workers spent the day clearing the waste left behind by the celebrations.

Minakshi Khandale and Sharmila Aaiwale, two PMC sanitation workers cleaning SM Joshi Bridge, said that they too wished to celebrate Diwali with their families but remained committed to their duties.

Khandale said, “Diwali is a festival for everyone. People should celebrate, enjoy happiness and spend time with their families, but they must also think about the environment and their civic responsibilities. We are human beings too. We have families and relatives, and we also wish to celebrate the festival freely. However, our duty is to keep the city clean, and we take pride in doing our work.”

Aaiwale said, “We appeal to Punekars to dispose of firecracker waste and other garbage in designated bins instead of throwing it on roads, footpaths or into water bodies. Even flowers and other puja materials are being dumped along roadsides, which is not at all good. Please try to understand our pain, our work struggles and how we go through the daily cleaning process. We workers need to keep our designated areas clean, and in a day, we sometimes need to sweep twice, depending on the mess. If you all can cooperate and help us keep the city clean, our workload will reduce and it will make our work easier. But just throwing garbage into water bodies, on roadsides or outside garbage bins clearly makes no sense.”

A senior PMC official said the volume of waste generated this Diwali had been substantial, requiring an extensive deployment of manpower and longer working hours.

The officer said, “We expected a considerable amount of garbage after Diwali, but the situation has been particularly challenging this time. Roads across several parts of the city are littered with waste, and our workers have been cleaning since early morning. They will get their festival holidays later, but citizens must also cooperate with us.”

The official also expressed concern over motorists allegedly throwing garbage from their vehicles onto roadsides and into water bodies.

The officer added, “Pune is known for its rich heritage, culture and educational institutions. What are we teaching the younger generation if even educated citizens cannot follow basic civic discipline? People must understand that keeping the city clean is everyone’s responsibility, not just that of sanitation workers.”