Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned an extensive sanitation drive, deploying around 800 additional sanitary workers who will work in shifts to make sure pandals and their surrounding areas remain clean.BMC’s additional commissioner Kailash Chandra Dash said the civic body has drawn up special arrangements for around 190 pandals and as part of the plan, one sanitation supervisor will monitor every four pandals, while around 75 supervisors will oversee sanitation operations throughout the festive period.“Each major pandal will have two sanitary workers stationed for continuous cleaning, while smaller pandals will have one worker each,” Dash said.To manage the large volume of waste generated during the celebrations, BMC will deploy door-to-door waste collection vehicles to collect used disposable plates and other waste from pandal premises. Small vehicles will be used to transport puja flower waste and used plates to designated waste-processing units. If required, larger waste transportation vehicles will be rerouted to avoid traffic congestion near busy pandals.For bigger pandals, mechanical sweeping vehicles will be pressed into service during night hours to ensure roads and surrounding areas remain clean before the next day’s rush of visitors.Civic officials said the initiative is part of BMC’s zero-waste litter policy, under which waste generated at pandals, food kiosks and nearby commercial establishments will be removed at regular intervals to prevent litter accumulation.Puja committees have been directed to install adequate dustbins near pandals, while food stalls and other temporary shops have been asked to maintain their own waste bins. Sanitary workers will collect waste from these bins and monitor compliance with sanitation guidelines.The civic body has also reiterated its strict ban on single-use plastics during the festival.For the past two years, BMC has been urging puja committees to avoid plastic waste and ensure proper waste management. Officials warned that no pandal or organiser will be allowed to dispose of waste through burning, stressing that all waste must be scientifically processed in accordance with environmental norms.