Garbage piles up as sanitation workers strike enters 4th day
The striking unions have pressed 11-point demands, including regularisation of contractual sanitation workers, equal pay for equal work, stop outsourcing, pension benefits, and employment of family members of deceased workers on compassionate grounds.
PATNA: Patna residents continue to face a harrowing time in disposing of garbage as the indefinite strike called by sanitation workers entered the fourth day.
Over 40,000 sanitation workers across 19 civic bodies, including 7,000 from Patna had gone on an indefinite strike on August 27 under the banner of Bihar Local Bodies Karamchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Morcha (BLBKSSM) and Bihar State Local Body Employees Federation (BSLBF).
The striking unions have pressed 11-point demands, including regularisation of contractual sanitation workers, equal pay for equal work, stop outsourcing, pension benefits, and employment of family members of deceased workers on compassionate grounds.
“Garbage has not been collected near Lalbagh for the last four days. It has become very difficult to cross that area because of the foul stench, ” said Pramod Kumar, a resident.
Echoing similar views, Pratima Rani, a resident of Kankarbagh, said, “Garbage collecting vehicles are collecting wastes only from the main area. Common people are suffering due to the strike.”
Sanitation workers, however, said they are adamant to continue with their strike till the government listens to their demands.
“Regular staff of urban local bodies get ₹40,000 as remuneration while daily wagers performing the same work get ₹10,000. We will not step back until the government fulfills our demand. We appeal to deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav to intervene in the matter and do justice with the sanitation workers,” said Chandra Prakash Singh, president of the BLBKSSM.
Meanwhile, the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Monday late lodged FIR against four people who were found creating hurdles in cleanliness work.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, PMC claimed that cleanliness work is going on in all six circles in double shifts.
“Altogether 414 waste collecting vehicles are plying in the city for garbage collection. Special teams are monitoring cleanliness in each circle during the strike period. Action is being taken against those creating hurdles in cleanliness work”, the release read.
