Tiruvannamalai town removed 450 metric tonnes of garbage after the Maha Deepam festival during a two-day cleaning drive by the Tiruvannamalai Corporation. A workforce of 2,300 sanitary staff, mostly women, worked hard starting Thursday to handle the huge crowd of pilgrims. "Sanitary workers from extended areas of the Corporation were also roped for the purpose. In the two-day drive, they collected around 450 tonnes of wastes, which is the highest volume generated on Maha Deepam so far," said S. Selva Balaji, Commissioner of Tiruvannamalai Corporation. Workers from nearby municipalities including Ambur, Arcot, and Vandavasi supported the effort. Collector K. Tharpagaraj and Commissioner Balaji inspected the cleaning work and spoke with the sanitary workers. This year's waste is the highest compared to previous years: 350 tonnes in 2024, 210 tonnes in 2023, and 130 tonnes in 2022. The rise is due to 45 lakh devotees visiting the temple town on Maha Deepam day. Most wastes were disposable food plates, followed by sugarcane and sweet corn waste. The district administration allowed 250 individuals and organizations to serve free food, benefiting 30 lakh devotees. The collected waste will mostly be dumped at the 15-acre landfill near the Girivalam path. Food and organic waste will be recycled into manure for farming and terrace gardens. On normal days, Tiruvannamalai generates 50-60 metric tonnes of waste daily across 1,400 streets in 39 wards.