A day after Vijaya Dashami, Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) on Wednesday lost no time in starting a cleaning drive in and around Puja pandals and the landmark Ranchi Lake where most of the city’s idols have been immersed.

RMC health officer Dr Kiran Kumari said that during Durga Puja, the civic body had carried special night-long cleaning drives at pandals. This year, Ranchi city had as many as 151 Durga Puja pandals.

The RMC from Wednesday started a two-day cleaning drive in and around Puja pandals, and a three-day drive to clean Ranchi Lake, also popularly called Bada Talab.

“We want to city to look neat and tidy. We are paying special attention to Ranchi Lake, where maximum number of idols have been immersed,” she added.

She said around 100 sanitation workers had been deputed for Ranchi Lake clean-up alone, and 1,000 more at pandals. Currently, the RMC has around 2,300 sanitation workers at its disposal.

From Ranchi Lake, some 100 tractor-loads of hyacinth were cleared and the reservoir’s flanks were cleaned. From the pandals venues, especially those that hosted massive fairs, various items were removed, including bamboo sticks, pieces of cloth, empty food packets, wrappers, among others.

Kumari said many Puja committees were immersing idols on Wednesday, which is why their sanitation workers would continue cleaning the reservoir till Friday. “You may call it early preparations for Diwali and Chhath too,” she added.

She added that within a week, they would hold a meeting to draw up a plan to clean ponds and lakes for Chhath. “Work will be hectic in the coming days,” she added. In Ranchi, Chhath rituals are performed in over 40 ponds and lakes.