Mayor Orders Citywide Clean-Up Before Diwali

GURUGRAM: Mayor Raj Rani Malhotra on Friday directed Municipal Corporation of Gurugram officials, ward councillors and sanitation agencies to ensure the city is cleaned before Diwali, with special drives across all areas and tighter monitoring of field work.

The directions came at a review meeting she chaired. Malhotra asked councillors, officials and agencies to watch their wards regularly and fix sanitation gaps as soon as they appear. She also told officials to ensure sanitation workers are paid on a fixed date every month. Agencies have been told to field the manpower and equipment named in their contracts. Those that fail contractual requirements or neglect duties face action, including blacklisting, she said.

Strike hangover and Sector 56 drive

"We need better coordination among MCG officials, councillors, sanitation agencies and field teams to improve sanitation services. Problems arising at the field level should be addressed immediately and regular monitoring of sanitation work should be ensured," Malhotra said. She added that special effort should go into cleaning and organising major areas, markets, roads and public places before Diwali.

Earlier on Friday, she joined a plantation and cleanliness drive at the community centre in Sector 56. The meeting followed her inspection two days earlier of sanitation and waste arrangements on New Railway Road, Old Railway Road and in Bhim Nagar, where she pressed for regular collection. She appealed to residents not to dump garbage on roads and to use the designated disposal system. Officials with her urged wet and dry segregation and cooperation with MCG crews.

The push comes after a 37-day strike by sanitation workers disrupted collection across the city. Waste piled up in residential pockets, markets and public spaces and strained an already stretched system. Operations have resumed, but accumulation and littering remain visible at several spots. For traders and RWAs still clearing leftover heaps, Friday's review turns the Diwali calendar into a hard deadline for agencies and ward teams. Whether blacklisting threats and fixed wage dates improve attendance on beats will show on the ground over the next fortnight.

Diwali footfall in Sadar, old railway road markets and sector commercial belts usually leaves extra plastic and food waste. Malhotra's note effectively tells agencies they cannot treat that surge as an excuse if contracted crews are short. Councillors have been put on notice to monitor their own wards rather than wait for a central complaint dashboard. That combination of wage discipline, contract enforcement and festival deadline is the practical core of Friday's review, beyond the familiar appeal for citizen segregation.