Waste left behind by attendees of a Sunday rally at Brigade Parade Ground remained uncleaned even late on Monday. With temperatures dropping, the Maidan draws daily visitors for walks and sports, but on Monday they were met with green spaces littered with plastic and polythene bags.

A visitor said that besides Brigade Parade Ground, the Gangasagar ground and the area near the statue of Gostho Pal were also strewn with trash. “All three grounds are in a terrible state,” he said, requesting anonymity.

Sunday’s Gita recital event at Brigade was officially organised by the Sanatan Sanskriti Sansad, a group of monks and Hindutva outfits, though the BJP and allied groups played a key role in mobilising attendees. Swami Nirgunananda, secretary of the sansad, said volunteers had been deployed and promised the grounds would be cleared by Tuesday. “The dais is being dismantled, and the waste will be cleared after that,” he added.

The Indian Army is the custodian of the Maidan, while the state public works department (PWD) maintains its public spaces. A senior PWD official said it was their responsibility to clean the Maidan but was unclear why it had not been done. On Monday evening, two PWD cleaners were seen picking up waste, estimating that full cleaning would take at least another day.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), which rapidly cleans the Maidan after Trinamool Congress’s July 21 rally every year, did not intervene. A KMC official said cleaning instructions come with a prior letter from Kolkata Police, which was not received for Sunday’s event. A senior officer said: “Organisers submit written assurance to clean the grounds.”

As a result of the delayed action by both organisers and agencies, many visitors were unable to use the Maidan on Monday.