Patna: After successful completion of Chhath, the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) is now gearing up for the upcoming mega event - the closing ceremony of the Prakash Utsav - set to be organised between December 22 and 25 in the state capital.

The corporation is all set to hire a private agency by the end of this month which would be given the responsibility to ensure cleanliness between Gai Ghat and Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib (wherein the main events would be held), three wards in Patna City which fall near the main gurdwara and areas around Guru Ka Bagh (a Sikh shrine in Patna City).

"We have floated the tender to select the agency. The tender would be finalised by the end of this month. Last year also, we had hired services of a private agency during Prakash Utsav period but the whole city looked more spic and span not only with the efforts of the private agency but the PMC at its own level ensured that garbage was removed in two shifts instead of the usual single shift. This year also, we would engage the private agency in small pockets but the rest of the city would be taken care of by the regular workers of PMC. This time, we are going to ensure a cleanliness drive to be organised in three shifts during the Prakash Utsav," said PMC commissioner Abhishek Singh.

He said the ghat cleaning work was started by PMC workers on Friday after Chhath devotees offered dusri arghya to the rising Sun. "Today, ghat cleaning work was done by PMC workers between 9.30am and 1.30pm. All the ghats were cleaned today," claimed Singh.

During last year's Prakash Utsav, PMC had engaged mechanised sweeping facility to make city roads clean. This time also, it would use mechanised sweeping facility, confirmed Singh. "Last year during the inauguration of the year-long Prakash Utsav programme, we had to hire the latest machines but this year, we have our own suction-cum-jetting machine which would be put to use," added Singh.

The corporation will also set up around 15 public urinals before Prakash Utsav. "We have decided to start around 45 urinals in the city of which around 15 would be started before the mega event. Residents won't need to shell out money for availing the service of urinals. We are soon going to float a tender as per which we are going to hire private agency for three consecutive years for taking care of the maintenance related work of the upcoming urinals and existing toilets in the city. The private agency won't charge for urinals but it is supposed to charge for the toilet facility," added Singh.

Singh added that the PMC was also going to make elaborate lighting arrangements in the road leading to Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib like it did at the Chhath ghats this year.