Garbage piles up in Erode after puja celebrations

Garbage piled up after Ayudha Puja, causing inconvenience to road users. Conservancy workers are tasked with clearing tonnes of banana stems, mango leaves, and other waste. Officials say it will take two days to clear the mess..

Following Ayudha puja celebrations during the weekend and Monday, conservancy workers in Erode are clearing tonnes of garbage, including banana plants and mango leaves, that have piled up across the city.

Apart from regular shops selling puja items, temporary shops were set up at junctions and on roadsides selling ash gourd, coconuts and sugarcane, in all the 60 wards in the Corporation. After the celebrations ended on Monday, unsold stems and mango leaves were left along the roads by vendors leading to piling up of garbage. Both, commercial establishments and households, had also cleaned their premises and dumped the waste materials on the roadsides.

Garbage was not removed on Sunday and Monday due to holidays for the workers who returned to work on Tuesday. “Usually, 250 tonnes of solid waste is collected every day across the city. After the Puja celebrations, an additional 75 tonnes have piled up,” said an official. The piled up garbage would be cleared in two days, he said.

Garbage had piled in huge quantities especially at Manikoondu, R.K.V. Road, Gandhiji Road, Kalaimadu Silai area, Poondurai Road Junction, Sampath Nagar, Mettur Road, Nasiyanur Road, and bus stand area. “Two-third of the waste was unused banana plants,” said a conservancy worker. Removal of garbage dumped on arterial roads and market areas are given priority.

In Salem, 125 to 150 tonnes of garbage were piled up across the city, particularly on arterial roads, market areas, road junctions and residential areas on Tuesday. Since the waste was not cleared for two days, it accumulated in market areas causing inconvenience to road users. Officials said festival waste was dumped at places convenient to people and removing it took time.