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Drivers’ strike raises a stink, leaves garbage piled in Lko
Complaints have surged from across the city, with residents raising concerns about the inefficiency of replacement workers.
The waste collection process in several areas of the state capital has been severely disrupted following a strike by several drivers of waste collection vehicles. Residents across the city have reported that garbage is piling up as waste collectors have not been visiting their houses, creating a sanitation crisis in multiple areas.
Anju Varshney, a resident of Nehru Enclave, expressed various issues, saying waste collectors have stopped visiting houses. “After multiple complaints to the authority on Thursday, a new worker came but was unaware of the routes and only collected garbage from a few houses before leaving,” she said.
Complaints have surged from across the city, with residents raising concerns about the inefficiency of replacement workers.
Roop Kumar Sharma, president of the Greater Lucknow Jankalyan Mahasamiti, criticised the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) for poor management. He said new workers hired by the private company responsible for waste collection are untrained and clueless about their duties. “While main roads are cleaned, internal roads are completely ignored, leaving many areas unhygienic,” Sharma added.
The crisis deepens as the LMC faces the additional challenge of verifying the identities of workers employed by private contractors. Municipal commissioner Inderjit Singh said that the LMC, along with other departments, will soon conduct a verification drive to check the documents of these workers, many of whom are suspected to be illegal immigrants.
A private company official disclosed that around 10,000 Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya refugees are working in waste collection roles, including as drivers. An LMC official revealed that many of these individuals either lack valid identity documents or provided false information during recruitment.
Earlier, a letter addressed to district magistrate by Lucknow mayor Sushma Kharakwal on December 30, 2024, demanded immediate action to verify the voter IDs and Aadhaar cards of individuals residing illegally on government land and along railway lines. It urged authorities to identify and expel those found without valid documentation to ensure law and order.
