The Haryana government has prepared a technology-driven solid waste management system for major religious and pilgrimage sites that attract large crowds during regular worship, fairs and festivals. The proposed framework will combine Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled waste bins, four-stream segregation, geo-tagging of littering hotspots, waste audits and dedicated collection teams to improve cleanliness at high-footfall locations. The system will initially be implemented at Shri Mata Sheetla Devi Mandir in Gurugram, Brahma Sarovar in Thanesar, Kurukshetra, and Shri Mansa Devi Mandir in Panchkula. Officials said the initiative is intended to create site-specific waste management models that can handle large and fluctuating visitor numbers while reducing litter accumulation and improving the movement of waste from collection points to processing facilities.
Under the proposed system, each pilgrimage site will be divided into separate precincts to allow waste collection and monitoring to be organised according to visitor movement and local requirements. The government plans to establish a 500-metre buffer zone around the identified sites, covering approach roads, vendor areas, parking spaces and routes through which collected waste is transported to processing facilities. Open waste collection points will not be permitted within this buffer zone. Instead, four bins will be placed at intervals of 50 metres along designated routes, while queue corridors will have bins every 25 metres. The arrangement is designed to place waste collection facilities close to visitors and vendors while limiting the chances of garbage accumulating in public areas around the pilgrimage centres.
The bins will form part of an IoT-based monitoring network designed to provide authorities with real-time information about waste collection requirements. Sensors installed in the bins will monitor fill levels, allowing collection teams to identify containers that require emptying rather than relying only on fixed schedules. The bins will also be fitted with mechanisms that automatically open their lids. Alongside individual bins, four-stream waste stations with covered storage facilities will be established at fixed locations. The four-stream segregation model will allow different categories of waste to be separated closer to the point of generation, potentially making subsequent collection, transportation and processing more organised. The government also plans to conduct regular waste audits at the selected locations to assess how effectively the system is functioning and identify areas requiring additional intervention.
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Special arrangements are planned for periods when visitor numbers rise sharply during religious events, fairs and festivals. Dedicated waste collection vehicles and litter-picking teams will be deployed at each site during peak periods to respond to the increased volume of discarded material. The proposed framework also includes specific measures for floral waste generated at religious sites. Sources said floral waste will not be allowed to be immersed, indicating that such material will instead have to be collected separately for appropriate handling. The approach is aimed at preventing flowers and other religious offerings from entering water bodies or being mixed with other forms of solid waste. The authorities will also need to coordinate waste collection around areas where devotees queue, vendors operate and large groups gather.
Commercial and institutional establishments located within the 500-metre buffer zone will also be brought into the waste management framework. Bhandaras, prasad and flower shops, dharamshalas, hotels and dhabas operating within the designated area will be registered as bulk waste generators with the Central Pollution Control Board. Their inclusion is intended to ensure that waste generated by businesses and large community feeding operations is accounted for rather than being treated in the same way as ordinary visitor-generated waste. Such establishments will be expected to form part of the site's broader waste segregation, collection and transportation arrangements. Registration will also help authorities identify major sources of waste generation and monitor compliance with applicable solid waste management requirements.
Before implementation, the Haryana government will conduct a gap analysis at each selected pilgrimage site against the requirements of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026. The assessment will examine the availability of sweeping manpower and equipment, including arrangements for twice-daily sweeping, as well as infrastructure for four-stream segregation, waste collection and transportation. The findings will be used to prepare site-specific models rather than applying a single system uniformly across all four locations. The combination of sensor-based monitoring, defined buffer zones, waste audits, geo-tagging and dedicated manpower is intended to give authorities greater visibility over waste generation and collection. If implemented as planned, the system would establish a technology-based framework for managing solid waste at some of Haryana's busiest religious destinations, particularly during periods of heavy visitor footfall.
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