Ganesh cleanup plan meets Hyderabad’s garbage
Waste piled up across Hyderabad after the festival, while GHMC’s staffing numbers remain claims without a public roster.
GHMC began post-festival clearance on September 16; ward-wise deployment records remain unpublished.
Garbage and biodegradable waste piled up across Hyderabad’s main and internal roads for two days after the Ganesh festival, according to a September 16 report. Areas near pandals, markets, street vendors and Rythu Bazar traders were among the reported hotspots. Morning sweeping in most parts of the city was delayed by more than three hours.
GHMC began a citywide clearance operation on September 16 and said its full workforce had returned by Wednesday morning. The same report, citing an unnamed senior official, said more than 80% of sanitation workers had been absent during the festival’s peak. No attendance register, duty roster or ward-level deployment data has been published to verify either figure. GHMC has not publicly explained the gap.
The corporation’s 2025 festival plan promised 14,886 sanitation workers in three shifts, 2,000 additional sweepers, 102 mini-tippers, 25 tippers and 160 response teams across a 303-km procession route. The plan was impressive on paper. The 2026 ward-wise clearance record is still missing, which is where the paper usually meets the road.