Bhubaneswar: Driven by the spirit of the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign, a monumental civic operation is underway in the Holy City, keeping it pristine and welcoming for the millions of devotees converging for the world-famous Rath Yatra.
At the heart of this massive campaign are the unsung heroes—the sanitation workers who are working tirelessly round the clock to maintain cleanliness across the city. To guarantee a clean, safe and comfortable experience despite challenging monsoon conditions, the Puri Municipal Corporation (PMC) has undertaken one of its largest-ever civic mobilisations.
Working in close coordination with the District Administration, Police, Fire Services and other line departments, PMC has deployed extensive manpower, machinery and infrastructure across the city.
Sanitation remains the foremost priority, with intensive overnight cleaning drives carried out across Bada Danda and the Gundicha Temple premises to prepare for the sacred rituals. Even as food distribution continues throughout the day, dedicated sanitation teams and waste collection vehicles remain stationed on the ground to ensure immediate garbage lifting and prevent litter accumulation along the Grand Road, the inner cordons of the chariots, temple precincts, Beach Road and other high-footfall areas.
The Puri Municipal Corporation has undertaken one of its largest-ever sanitation operations for Rath Yatra, deploying 1,451 sanitation personnel supported by 570 waste collection vehicles, 15 cesspool vehicles, and three mechanical road sweeping machines to ensure uninterrupted cleaning and scientific waste disposal across the city.
To effectively manage heavy monsoon rains, PMC has operationalised 23 designated parking areas with dedicated maintenance teams and buffer construction materials for immediate restoration whenever required.
The Corporation has also deployed 38 dewatering pumps, supplemented by 50 additional pumps from the Fire Services Department and 10 high-capacity pump sets, each capable of handling nearly 3,000 litres of water per minute, to ensure rapid drainage from vulnerable locations and uninterrupted movement of devotees.
For the convenience of devotees, around 1,600 temporary toilets, including FRP units, mobile toilet vans, urinal points and Divyang-accessible facilities, have been established across police accommodation camps, parking areas and other high-footfall locations.
Each cluster is maintained round the clock by dedicated sanitation personnel and monitored through geo-tagging to ensure hygiene and accountability. Additionally, nearly 3,000 temporary lights have been installed across strategic locations to facilitate safe movement, with maintenance teams remaining on standby to address any technical faults promptly.
Housing and Urban Development Minister Dr. Krushna Chandra Mahapatra commended the comprehensive civic arrangements, stating that providing world-class civic services to the devotees of Lord Jagannath remains the highest priority of the State Government.
He said seamless inter-departmental coordination has enabled effective management of sanitation, waterlogging and essential public amenities despite heavy monsoon showers, ensuring a spiritually enriching, clean and disciplined environment for pilgrims.
Continuous anti-encroachment drives are being carried out to ensure unobstructed movement of pedestrians and vehicles throughout the city. As part of extensive pre-festival preparedness, all identified drains deeper than three feet were covered with concrete slabs, comprehensive desilting was undertaken across more than 300 major drains, and extensive pothole repairs were completed well ahead of the festival to facilitate safe and uninterrupted movement during the grand festival.
Highlighting the administrative efficiency, Additional Chief Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, Usha Padhee, stated that civic service delivery during this year’s Rath Yatra has been made highly systematic, technology-driven and accountable.
She noted that the use of geo-tagging for sanitation infrastructure, continuous field monitoring, and the round-the-clock deployment of sanitation workers and officials have ensured exceptional standards of cleanliness and efficient civic service delivery across the Holy City.
Through meticulous planning, extensive resource mobilisation and seamless inter-agency coordination, the Puri Municipal Corporation has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of civic governance during one of the world’s largest religious congregations.
The relentless efforts of sanitation workers, engineers, frontline staff, field officials and partner agencies have ensured a clean, safe and well-managed pilgrimage, enabling millions of devotees to participate in the sacred Rath Yatra in a hygienic, orderly and spiritually fulfilling environment.
