The civic workers of Belgaum faced a formidable task during the Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations, as a dedicated team of a dozen officers and staff spent over six hours cleaning up the mess. They diligently collected more than 7,000 kilograms of waste from the vicinity of Rani Channamma Circle, where the festivities took place. Ragpickers, compensated based on the volume of garbage they collected, earned a commendable ₹20,000 for gathering approximately two tonnes of plastic bottles, estimated to be around 70,000 one-liter bottles by Belgaum City Corporation (BCC) officials.
The waste also included discarded footwear, plastic bottles and bags, clothes, and flowers. BCC authorities mentioned that approximately four tonnes of dry waste, including clothing, rubber, and plastic, were sent to a private cement factory for use as fuel.
BCC Commissioner Ashok Dudagunti highlighted that the pourakarmikas and ragpickers started their cleanup operation at midnight on November 2 and completed their task before daybreak on November 3.
The BCC employs around 475 ragpickers on a job work basis, in addition to the larger team of Poura Karmikas (civic workers) under the local urban body. On a regular day, these ragpickers earn around ₹200 per day, but during the Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations, each of the ten workers took home about ₹2,000.
According to police estimates, nearly half a million young individuals from Belgaum, its district, and neighboring areas joined in the 24-hour long Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations. The festivities, including song and dance performances, spanned from the evening of November 1 to the afternoon of November 2.
The Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations in Belgaum set a new attendance record, especially at the Rani Channamma Circle. Despite the grandeur of the event, the sight of litter strewn across the circle and its surroundings was a surprising sight for the pourakarmikas of the Belgaum City Corporation on Thursday morning. A staggering seven tonnes of waste, including discarded footwear, plastic bottles and bags, clothes, and flower waste, were generated in and around Channamma Circle.
To their amazement, ragpickers from the Ganeshpur area alone collected more than two tonnes of used plastic bottles from Channamma Circle during the early hours of Thursday. These resourceful individuals sold the waste to local scrap vendors at Rs 10 per kg, earning a remarkable Rs 20,000 in just a few hours.
The City Corporation had recently identified and issued identity cards to 75 ragpickers, and 100 kg capacity dustbins were strategically placed in the Rani Channamma Circle area, specifically for empty water bottles. The ragpickers would arrive at around 3 a.m. and collect these bottles.
Corporation Commissioner Ashok Dudagunti expressed his satisfaction with the meticulous planning to clean Channamma Circle before 6 am. He commended all those involved for their incredible efforts in ensuring the area was spotless before sunrise. Furthermore, a substantial amount of flower waste was gathered from the area, destined for the production of agarbattis. It was also noted that over 5 tonnes of dry waste, including footwear, clothes, and plastic carry bags, were transported to the JK Cement factory to be used as an alternative fuel.
