MCG house meet focuses on civic projects amid ongoing sanitation workers’ strike

The strike by 3,480 sanitation workers has disrupted garbage collection and sweeping services across several city areas.

The ongoing sanitation crisis triggered by the strike of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) sanitation workers did not feature in discussions during the sixth house meeting of the civic body held on Monday, despite mounting garbage and disruption of sanitation services across the city.

Officials said the meeting focused on water supply, sewerage, drainage works, encroachments and road infrastructure proposals. (HT Photo)

The 3,480 sanitation workers have extended their strike till May 14, with residents reporting severe impact on garbage collection and road-sweeping services in several areas of the city.

Officials said discussions during the meeting, chaired by Mayor Raj Rani Malhotra, focused primarily on civic infrastructure issues including drinking water supply, road construction, sewerage and drainage works, and removal of encroachments.

Among the proposals approved during the meeting were incentive payments for authorised plumbers, measures to curb illegal water connections, allocation of land for milk booths and land allocation related to the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project.

Officials also approved a proposal in Ward-5 to transfer unused revenue-designated pathways located within residential societies to respective developers. Another proposal was forwarded to the education department seeking the appointment of attendants and watchmen in government schools to strengthen security arrangements.

Mayor Malhotra said the house meeting remained focused on developmental matters. “Several key proposals were approved today, and we are continuously working towards the city’s progress,” she told reporters.

When asked about the absence of discussion on the sanitation crisis, Malhotra told HT, “This issue was not included in the agenda of the house meeting. It is a state-level matter.”

She, however, acknowledged that sanitation conditions in the city had been affected due to the continuing protest by sanitation workers.

MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya told reporters complaints would be sent to the additional chief secretaries (ACS) of departments whose officials failed to attend the meeting. He added that the decisions taken during the meeting would help strengthen civic administration at the grassroots level.