Post-Diwali garbage piles up across Gurugram, residents fume at MCG
Overflowing bins and cracker debris litter Gurugram streets as residents blame the MCG for failing to plan for the annual post-Diwali waste surge.
Days after Diwali, piles of uncollected garbage and cracker debris were seen lying across Gurugram. Several parts of the city, including Sector 9, Sector 11, and Beriwala Bagh, are filled with overflowing bins and neglected waste collection points emit unbearable stench, attracting stray animals.
Residents say the city’s sanitation system has “completely collapsed,” turning the post-Diwali aftermath into an annual nightmare.
From main roads to residential by-lanes, mounds of waste — plastic wrappers, burnt fireworks, and food leftovers — lie scattered. Even the secondary collection points are overflowing, with garbage spilling on roads. “It’s ironic that we celebrate Diwali as a festival of light and cleanliness but wake up to such darkness in a civic sense,” said a Sector 9 resident.
In Om Nagar, 69-year-old Phool Singh said the situation has become unbearable. “The garbage stinks, making it difficult to breathe and sit outside your house,” he said.
Munshi Ram, 70, another Om Nagar resident said the sanitation drive before Diwali seems to have vanished overnight. “Before the festival, the sweepers were seen cleaning daily. Now, no one has come for three days. The drains are full of plastic and leftover food,” he said.
In neighbouring Shanti Nagar, Ramesh Kumar, 62, said living conditions worsens every year after the festival. “It’s becoming difficult to live here. The garbage piles keep growing, and no one from the municipal corporation shows up. We pay taxes for cleanliness, but the condition is pathetic,” he said.
Residents said the stench, flies, and stray dogs have made the streets unsafe and unhygienic. “Children can’t play outside and we can’t even open windows,” said another local.
Residents blamed the municipal corporation of Gurugram (MCG) for failing to plan for the post-Diwali surge in waste every year. “The same problem repeats annually — garbage rots for days, and officials appear only after complaints reach the media,” said a resident of Sector 9A.
Ravinder Yadav, additional commissioner of MCG said garbage lifting was delayed. “Due to Diwali, several sanitation workers were on leave. Teams have now been deployed across the city, and garbage is being removed from all main roads and collection points,” he said, adding that officers have been instructed to inspect every ward and ensure no waste remains on roads.
MCG officials claimed to have cleared several major routes by Wednesday evening, however residents in Old Gurugram said the clean-up was partial and temporary.
