Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the Rath Yatra, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Sunday launched a cleanliness campaign titled ‘Adopt Cleanliness, Eliminate Disease’ in order to ensure a hygienic and welcoming environment for thousands of devotees travelling to Puri.
The campaign was formally inaugurated by BMC Mayor Sulochana Das, who flagged off the drive near the Nabagunjara statue at Hitech Square on the Cuttack-Puri Bypass.
As part of the initiative, the entire stretch from Hitech Square to Lingipur Square was cleaned through a coordinated effort involving sanitation workers, Swachh Supervisors, Swachh Sathis, sanitary inspectors, volunteers, agency staff, and local residents.
Mechanical road sweeping and median cleaning activities were also carried out simultaneously.
Speaking on the occasion, Das emphasised the importance of maintaining cleanliness along the Cuttack-Puri Bypass, a key route that will witness the movement of thousands of pilgrims during the festival July 16.
She appealed to roadside shopkeepers to keep the areas in front of their establishments clean and ensure that litter such as plastic bags, paper cups, used plates, wrappers and other waste is not discarded on the roadside.