Mumbai News: BMC Deploys ‘Pink Army’ Of Female Sanitation Workers For Citywide Twice-Daily Street Sweeping

Mumbai: In a bid to make the city dust-free, the BMC has deployed its 'Pink Army'—a team of female sanitation workers—for a second round of street sweeping on Mumbai's busy roads. Over the past month, these workers have cleared construction debris, removed scrap material, and collected large volumes of garbage from city roads.

Until now, twice-daily road sweeping was limited to VIP areas like A ward (Fort, Churchgate, CSMT) and D ward (Malabar Hill, Pedder Road). However, from May 5, the BMC expanded this practice citywide, sweeping all roads both morning and evening. For this drive, the BMC deployed a team of 13,500 sanitation workers, of which 70% or 9,600 of whom are women, known as the 'Pink Army.'

"We have focused on cleaning major roads, especially areas near railway stations, crowded spots, and large construction sites. Advanced machinery is being used to ensure effective sweeping,” said a senior civic official. Morning sweeping is usually done between 6:30 am and 8:30 am, while evening cleaning takes place from 5 pm to 7 pm, both on an experimental basis.

"For sweeping one kilometre of road, two workers are deployed. The women in pink uniforms ensure their assigned roads are thoroughly cleaned," an official added. Between May 5 and 28, 2025, the BMC’s Pink Army collected and disposed of 150 tonnes of construction debris, 180 tonnes of scrap material, and over 360 tonnes of garbage.

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