No end to Capital’s garbage problem as strike continues

Residents complained that they are facing a health crisis as streets have not been cleaned for days.

A meeting between the protesting staff of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and the civic body’s mayor remained inconclusive on Monday, with the employees refusing to come back to work until their pending salaries are paid even as residents across north Delhi complained of roads littered with stinking garbage.

Garbage piled up at Peepal Wali Gali near Sadar Bazar as MCD workers are on strike over non-payment of their salaries, in New Delhi. (Arvind Yadav/ Hindustan Times)

“The mayor along with the commissioner had convened a meeting with agitating employees. They do not have any lasting solution to the crisis. They said that the civic body can pay only one to two months’ salary, which is not acceptable to us. We will continue our strike,” said AP Khan, convener, Confederation of MCD Employees Union which is on an indefinite strike since January 7.

Khan added that the sanitation employees will also continue to strike and will not clear garbage from the streets. “Sanitation services will not be performed until dues are cleared. Only the civic authorities are responsible for this garbage mess,” Khan said.

Pawan Tank, acting president of Nagar Nigam Shramik Sangh, which is also part of the Confederation, said that the north corporation authorities announced that salary for two months has been cleared for sanitation employees but it is yet to be paid.

“We will not return to work until our demand for regularisation of sanitation workers is met and pending salaries of all employees are cleared. We will not lift garbage from streets and colonies,” Tank said.

Residents complained that they are facing a health crisis as streets have not been cleaned for days. Raza Khan, a resident of Daryaganj, said the situation in old quarters of the city is worse than in any other part. “Garbage can be seen lying on streets in the colony. The street near Golcha Cinema now resembles like a dump yard as garbage has not been lifted for last 15 days from here. Foul smell emanating from the garbage is unbearable,” Khan said.

Jai Prakash, mayor, north corporation, appealed to sanitation employees to return to work and assured that their other demands will be considered. “In the meeting today, I have assured that at least one-month salary of all employees will be approved by January 28. I appeal them to return to work so that sanitation problem can be solved,” Prakash said.