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Garbage piles up as sanitation workers continue strike in Karnal
With the strike by sanitation workers in Haryana entering the eighth day on Wednesday, cleanliness in Karnal has become a challenge for the authorities. Heaps of garbage can be seen everywhere
With the strike by safai karamcharis (sanitation workers) in Haryana entering the eighth day on Wednesday, cleanliness in Karnal has become a challenge for the authorities.
Tonnes of garbage have piled up in every nook and corner of the city. It not only raises stink but also creates a health hazard.
What has added to their woes is that the striking sanitation workers have extended their strike for three more days, till October 29.
Thousands of sanitation workers in the state have been on a strike since October 19 demanding the regularisation of services of the ad hoc staff, filling the vacant posts and abolishment of the Haryana Kaushal Rojgar Nigam portal.
“The situation is worsening with each passing day and no steps are being taken by the government and the administration. We don’t know when the strike will end, we will get relief,” said Rajesh Sharma, a city resident.
The residents are demanding the authorities to take immediate steps to end the strike.
Even as the appeals made by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Haryana chief secretary Sanjeev Kaushal failed to evoke any positive response, the safai karamcharis have made it clear that the strike will continue till their demands are fulfilled. They had also observed a ‘black Diwali’ and took out a protest march to press for their demands.
On the other hand, protesting sanitation workers in Karnal are not allowing the authorities to clear the garbage from the city. There are reports that 24 safai karamcharis were detained by the Karnal police for not allowing the district administration to lift the garbage. They have been booked for stopping a public servant from discharge of his duty.
This agitated sanitation workers and they held a protest at the Karnal mini secretariat affecting the movement of the people and forcing the police to lock the gates.
The Karnal administration, on the other hand, has issued directions to the officials to take immediate initiatives to deal with the situation. Karnal deputy commissioner Anish Yadav held a meeting with the officials of different departments, educational institutions and religious and social organisations and sought their cooperation to deal with the situation.
The deputy commissioner also appealed to the general public to come forward to improve the cleanliness in the city by keeping their locality clean.
The officials monitoring the cleanliness in the city said efforts are being made to lift hundreds of tonnes of garbage from the city as the per day garbage generation from the city is around 130 tonnes.
