A day after the Attukal Pongala, the city woke up with a fresh breath
to witness the clean and wet streets. Many residents wondered, “did it
rain after the soaring heat of yesterday!” However, it was no news for
some who have been witnessing the overnight magic of the City
Corporation.

Kudos to the around 2,500 staff, including the
sanitation workers deployed by the Corporation, who fought with the
scorching sun and midnight darkness to complete the post-pongala
cleaning of the city on Sunday.

The Mayor herself supervised the cleaning activities which started by the afternoon.

According
to the Mayor, as many as 2,470 workers, including 1,750 temporary and
720 permanent staff, carried out the removal of the leftovers, including
the bricks brought to make hearths, organic and plastic waste materials
and swept the roads. The arterial roads coming under the pongala area
were also washed by the sanitation workers.

Co-ordinated by Health
Standing Committee chairperson S Pushpalatha, the cleaning activities
were conducted on the basis of 10 circles that come in the 20 wards
which were announced as festival zones. The organic and plastic wastes
that amounted to nearly a hundred tonnes were carted away to
pre-identified spots in 43 tipper lorries. 

The streets, which were all dusty with ash, were washed  with the help of an artificial rain.

A
special rain unit, like the one used in cinemas, was brought for this
purpose instead of the traditional tanker lorries used to sprinkle
water.

However, the Corporation staff are the ones who should be
thanked for making the city as clean as ever. Many were seen carting out
waste in baskets and sweeping a few remaining roads late in Sunday
night also. Special incentives are given for these staff assigned for
the Pongala special duty.