Critical Analysis of Sustainable Waste Management Practices in Maharashtra's Religious Tourism

Abstract

Religious tourism is an important element of the tourism industry of any country. In Maharashtra tourism also, religious tourism occupies a major share. In a year, lakhs of tourists visit various religious places in Maharashtra. They avail number facilities like darshan of the deity, food, accommodation, parking and many more. Providing these facilities in proper manner to the tourists is the prime responsibility of religious trusts. Well planned management in the areas of human resources, funds management, crowd management, waste management is necessary for the provision of these facilities. Sometimes it becomes very challenging for religious trusts to operate, especially during festivals when lakhs of tourists visit at a time. One of the major challenges for these trusts is the waste management. The research paper tries to analyze waste management strategies adopted by religious trusts in Maharashtra. It may also suggest sustainable strategies that can be adopted for waste management.