Shimla: Despite MC’s assurance, protesting sanitation workers refuse to budge

Responsible for day-to-day garbage collection in the town, the workers began an indefinite strike on May 15, leading to piling garbage; they are pressing for restoration of the 10% annual increment that was withdrawn by the MC

The strike of the 900 sanitation workers, employed under the Shimla Heath Beautification Environment and Heritage (SEHB) Society, continued on the third day on Monday, paralysing the town’s sanitation system. Responsible for day-to-day garbage collection in the town, the workers began an indefinite strike on May 15, leading to piling garbage. They are pressing for restoration of the 10% annual increment that was withdrawn by the MC.

A road littered with garbage in Shimla amid sanitation workers’ strike on Monday. (HT photo)

On Monday, the employees staged a protest at CTO Chowk. Despite receiving assurances from the Municipal Corporation that their demands would be looked into, the employees remain unwilling to call off the strike.

The strike comes at a point when the tourist season is picking up. So the MC has decided to outsource the sanitation services of the state capital. Tenders have already been floated for this purpose. The city’s sanitation operations will now be managed through contractors who will deploy their staff in every ward to collect garbage. Their sole responsibility will be to transport waste from individual households to designated collection centres. From these collection centres, the MC itself will collect the waste using its own fleet of vehicles and transport it to the Bharyal processing plant. If the strike continues, this new system could be implemented in the city after May 20.

Mayor Surender Chauhan said, “The MC has taken the employees’ demands seriously. Consequently, an annual general meeting will be convened immediately after the model code of conduct is lifted.”

The district magistrate has invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to ensure the continuity of essential services, specifically sanitation operations, but the employees remain adamant about their strike.