Clean streets to be priority
To ensure that all visitors leave with the best impression of the city, dozens of issues will have to be settled before the Games begin. One of these is street cleaning, with about 3,000 staff and 234 vehicles to hand. The municipal program provides for early-morning garbage collection (from 3.30 a.m. to 8 a.m.) and round-the-clock street cleaning. A team of about 150 people will be monitoring the city on the lookout for potential problems which they will deal with on the spot. City Hall hopes local residents will help by reporting any problems, by calling a hot line, 195. A contractor is being assigned to back up municipal services in an emergency, ready to deal with any problem to do with cleaning, parks, electricity or other facilities. Other issues that need action if the city is to put on its best face include the problem of the city’s stray dogs, which will be dealt with by a team of six vehicles and 24 staff. Some 620 municipal police officers will be on the alert to move illegal street vendors.
