BMC Deploys Pink Army for Twice Daily Citywide Sweeping
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched an ambitious initiative to keep the city dust-free by deploying its ‘Pink Army’ — a dedicated team of female sanitation workers — for twice-daily street sweeping across Mumbai’s busiest roads.
Previously, this intensive cleaning drive was limited to VIP wards like A ward (Fort, Churchgate, CSMT) and D ward (Malabar Hill, Pedder Road). Since May 5, 2025, the BMC has expanded the twice-daily sweeping to cover all city roads, with a workforce of 13,500 sanitation workers. Of these, approximately 70% or 9,600 are women donning pink uniforms, earning the team its popular nickname.
Senior civic officials noted that the focus remains on thorough cleaning of major thoroughfares, especially near railway stations, crowded localities, and construction zones. The drive combines manual labour with advanced machinery to maximise efficiency. Morning sweeping typically runs from 6:30 am to 8:30 am, while the evening round is scheduled between 5 pm and 7 pm on an experimental basis. For every kilometre of road, two sanitation workers are assigned to ensure comprehensive coverage. The ‘Pink Army’ has already made a significant impact: between May 5 and 28, the team collected and disposed of 150 tonnes of construction debris, 180 tonnes of scrap material, and over 360 tonnes of general garbage, underscoring the scale of the city’s cleanliness challenge.
This expanded citywide initiative reflects the BMC’s commitment to improving urban sanitation and fostering a cleaner, healthier Mumbai.
