Sanitation workers’ strike leaves P’kula roads dirty, MC says garbage collection unaffected

The municipal officials claimed that the situation in Panchkula was comparatively better, with garbage being collected from secondary collection points in various sectors before being transported to the dumping site in Alipur village

Roads in the city have started looking increasingly dirty as sanitation workers responsible for sweeping and cleaning them have been on strike for the past several days amid state-wide protests called by municipal employees’ unions.

Garbage lying uncollected in Sector 17, Panchkula, on Tuesday. (Sant Arora/HT)

The municipal officials claimed that the situation in Panchkula was comparatively better, with garbage being collected from secondary collection points in various sectors before being transported to the dumping site in Alipur village.

Anil Nain, chief sanitary inspector (CSI), said door-to-door garbage collection was continuing as usual and the workers on strike were primarily tasked with sweeping and cleaning roads.

“Around 600 sanitation workers in Panchkula are on strike, while 108 garbage collection vehicles are operating smoothly across the city,” he said.

Sanitation employees of the Kalka municipal council have also joined the strike.

Rakesh Agarwal of Vikas Manch in Panchkula, disputed the MC’s claim, saying door-to-door garbage collection had not been taking place regularly for the past several days since the strike began. He said the problem was particularly noticeable in Sectors 12, 12A and 4, where garbage could be seen scattered along roadsides at several locations.

The state-wide protests and strikes have been called by sanitation workers and municipal employees’ unions over the alleged non-implementation of agreements reached with the government during earlier negotiations. The unions are demanding the regularisation of contractual workers and implementation of previously agreed pay scales and benefits.