Patna: Residents have demanded that clean-up of Gandhi Maidan after the Independence Day celebrations picks up pace, even as a government official and workers claimed it would take about 10 days.

Work on disassembling bamboo structures set up for the August 15 event started on Thursday. The Patna Municipal Corporation also started to clear the area of waste a day after the event. Many residents who feel the work is underway at a tardy pace have, however, urged for some fast action.

Ajit Kumar Singh, a frequent visitor to the city's iconic ground, said: "The process to clean the area of trash and remove the bamboo structures should pick up pace. Work is so slow now that it is difficult to play cricket or football at the ground. There are anyway not too many places for outdoor activities here, so we urge the authorities to speed up the work."

An official of the public works department that is supervising the clean-up said "it will take time".

"Every year thousands of visitors came to the Gandhi Maidan to watch the Independence Day parade, so it needs large-scale arrangements. So, the clean-up will take time. We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to the residents and will try to complete the disassembling work as soon as possible," the official said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak on the matter.

Ashok Rajpath resident Aniket Kumar said: "We urge the authorities not only to clean the area fast but also recycle the waste generated."