Diwali debris piles up across Gurugram as sanitation woes persist

Residents across several sectors said firecracker waste had added to piles of unattended garbage, while shortages of sanitation workers had delayed clean-up efforts

Diwali celebrations left streets and residential lanes across Gurugram littered with firecracker wrappers, burnt debris and other festive waste on Monday, with residents complaining that irregular sweeping and garbage collection had compounded existing sanitation problems.

Garbage lies scattered along Basai Road near Baldev Nagar in Gurugram on Monday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Residents across several sectors said firecracker waste had added to piles of unattended garbage, while shortages of sanitation workers had delayed clean-up efforts.

Savita Devi, a resident of Sector 46, said she woke up on Monday to find her lane covered with firecracker wrappers and burnt debris.

“The entire lane was littered with firecracker waste. While the frequency of sanitation workers visiting the area has improved in recent weeks, almost every lane in the sector was covered with debris after Diwali. Sector 46 is one of the main Huda sectors, but anyone entering the area after the celebrations would have found it difficult to believe that it is a planned residential sector,” she said.

In Sector 21, residents complained that firecracker debris remained scattered across internal roads and residential lanes, with irregular sweeping worsening the situation.

“We thought that after Diwali, the civic authorities will ensure the clean-up of roads and internal lanes, and might deploy additional sweeping teams for waste clearance. But none of these arrangements were done,” he said.

Sharma said residents had been complaining about manpower shortages for months, with only around 30% of the sector receiving regular cleaning. “Several stretches remain unattended, and with firecracker waste now scattered across the roads, the need for regular sweeping has become even more pressing,” he added.

In Sector 67, residents and commuters said roadsides and green belts near office complexes and markets were strewn with plastic bags, food packaging, discarded firecracker wrappers and burnt debris. The festive waste had added to existing garbage accumulation, with several stretches turning into informal dumping grounds.

Ankit Verma, a commuter, said the MCG had installed a signboard directing people to use dustbins, but none had been provided in the area.

“The bigger issue is the absence of dustbins in the area. The entire green belt has effectively turned into a dumping ground, with waste being dumped illegally. Sanitation workers visit the area to clear the garbage only once a week, while several street vendors and small shopkeepers routinely dump their waste here,” he said.

Rajesh Gera, RWA president of Surya Vihar, said sanitation services remained inadequate even before the festival, and the absence of workers after Diwali had made matters worse.

“People ensure that their homes are clean, but the roads and the city are left unattended. There is no accountability or strict monitoring. Whenever there is a festival or a major event, sanitation is among the first civic services to take a hit,” he said.

Gera alleged that no sanitation worker had visited the area on Monday, adding that officials frequently cited workers travelling to their hometowns during festivals as a reason for the shortages.

Earlier this month, HT reported that garbage continued to accumulate across the city despite the MCG’s plan to hire 1,800 sanitation workers through private contractors, with 50 earmarked for each ward.

Civic officials had acknowledged that the promised workforce was yet to be fully deployed, with some wards receiving only 20 workers and a tender for one zone having been cancelled.

A senior MCG official said worker deployment varied across wards, with some having reached their sanctioned strength while others continued to face shortages.

“There is also some shortage because the workers have gone to their native areas for diwali. However, the situation will improve once they are back,” he said.

The official added that private contractors had assured the MCG that the remaining sanitation workers would be deployed by the end of November.