Varanasi: The Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) has begun preparations for the upcoming Rath Yatra festival and decided to keep the event completely free of banned plastic and polythene this year as well.To enforce the ban, shopkeepers, vendors and stall owners setting up shops, carts and kiosks at the fair will be required to submit affidavits in advance, undertaking not to use prohibited plastic items.The decision was taken at a review meeting chaired by Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari on Friday. The mayor directed officials to immediately repair the Rath Yatra route to ensure that devotees do not face any inconvenience.He also instructed officials of the Jal Kal department to ensure there is no sewer overflow in and around the fair area. Directions were also issued to make the roads on the route pothole-free at the earliest to facilitate smooth traffic movement.Chief engineer Suresh Chandra, Jal Kal general manager Anup Kumar Singh, and senior officials from the engineering, health, sanitation and waterworks departments attended the meeting
