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Mohali: Strike over sanitary inspector’s transfer triggers waste crisis
Alleging mistreatment and exploitation by Mohali MC officials, garbage collectors have been on strike since June 30,leaving waste piling at homes, shops, streets
A dispute between the municipal officials and sanitation workers has led to a garbage collection crisis in Mohali, leaving residents in agonising wait for waste pickup and streets littered with stinking garbage.
The strike by around 300 garbage collectors, which began on June 30, entered its fourth day on Thursday, and garbage remains uncollected from both residential areas and markets. As a result, residents have started dumping waste along roadsides and vacant plots, turning the city into a sprawling mess in the ongoing rainy season.
The strike was triggered by a demand from the Punjab Safai Mazdoor Federation to transfer a sanitary inspector, Harminder Singh, whom they accuse of misconduct. Federation general secretary Pawan Godiyal alleged that sanitation workers had faced prolonged mistreatment and exploitation by certain sanitary inspectors in MC.
“We were insulted by the municipal commissioner in his office. Some sanitary inspectors even locked us up inside a room while trying to meet peacefully,” said Godiyal.
The workers are demanding an official apology from the municipal commissioner for the alleged disrespect, as well as the immediate transfer of Harminder Singh.
Amid the strike, the city’s waste management has come to a grinding halt.
Waste is not being collected from homes and markets, and even the 14 Resource Management Centres (RMCs) are overflowing with waste. The situation is most severe at the Sector 80 RMC, where garbage has spilled over to the main road.
In its latest meeting, the federation accused several sanitary inspectors of violating promotion rules and abusing their positions for personal gain. “The MC has become a hub of corruption,” one federation leader alleged, adding that some inspectors had been posted in Mohali for over 10-15 years, in violation of the state’s transfer policy. The federation has demanded an investigation into the assets of these inspectors and their immediate transfer out of Mohali.
Municipal commissioner Parminder Pal Singh stated, “We are in talks with the sanitation workers and are hopeful of resolving the issue soon. Meanwhile, 13 vehicles have been deployed by the corporation to collect household garbage.”
Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu said, “This is a dispute between the MC officials and the sanitation workers. I have directed them to resolve it as soon as possible. The city’s condition is worsening. We have deployed our vehicles to pick up garbage from homes and are trying to sort out the issue.”
