Gurugram garbage crisis deepens as sanitation strike enters day 10

Workers seek reinstatement of nearly 3,500 laid-off staff, regularisation and an end to outsourcing of sanitation and sewage work.

Gurugram continued to see mounting piles of uncollected garbage on Saturday as the sanitation workers’ strike entered its 10th day. The protesting Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) sanitation workers have extended their agitation till August 18 and warned of an indefinite strike if their demands are not met by the Haryana government.

Gurugram garbage crisis deepens as sanitation strike enters day 10

The workers, protesting under the banner of the Haryana Sarv Karamchari Sangh, alleged that the government had failed to address demands raised in May, including the reinstatement of nearly 3,500 laid-off workers; regularisation of sanitation, sewer, horticulture and other contractual workers; an end to outsourcing of sanitation and sewage work; and recruitment against vacant posts.

Basant Kumar, president of Haryana Sarv Karamchari Sangh’s Gurugram unit, said the protest would continue until the demands were met. “The May 13 agreement has still not been completed. So many of us have been employed on contract for the past 20 to 25 years, yet we are earning only ₹8000 to ₹9000 per month. How are we supposed to survive with such meagre wages? We need a robust policy, a policy which introduces regularisation of services and protects us from harassment and exploitation,” he said.

Garbage has accumulated along roads across Gurugram, with residents saying the situation has worsened during the monsoon as rainwater mixes with waste, causing a foul smell and obstructing pedestrians and commuters. Sadar Bazar has been among the worst affected. Arnav Gupta, a resident of Sector 31, said, “I came here for festival shopping, but the roads are filled with garbage all around.”

Bhawani Shankar Tripathi, general secretary of the Sector 23A Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA), said, “No sanitation worker had visited the sector in 10 days. Several stretches in our area are littered with garbage.”

Naveen Sharma, a resident of Sector 12, said major roads and overflowing dustbins remained littered. “There is garbage all over the city, especially in the old Gurugram areas.”

In response, without giving specificities, a senior MCG official, asking not to be named, acknowledged the manpower shortage due to the protest and said available sanitation workers had been deployed across the city to ensure garbage collection.