Sanitation workers-PMC truce talks fail as garbage continues to pile up in Patna

The latest round of talks between the sanitation workers’ representatives and officials of urban development and housing department (UDHD) remained inconclusive

People in Patna are unlikely to get respite from the foul smell emanating from heaps of garbage that has accumulated in the city due to the ongoing stir between sanitation workers and Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC).

Residents said they are continuing to face challenges while stepping out owing to the piled-up garbage. (File image)

The latest round of talks between the sanitation workers’ representatives and officials of urban development and housing department (UDHD) remained inconclusive, officials familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

Residents said they are continuing to face challenges while stepping out owing to the piled-up garbage after door-to-door collection service also came to a standstill.

Aniket Kumar, a resident near Digha, said, “The main road is piled up with waste and garbage. Locals are throwing garbage on the roadside as PMC’s vehicle has not been collecting garbage for the last nine days. Stray animals spread the littered waste on the main road making life more miserable.”

PMC claimed that garbage collection work is being carried out in the city.

However, residents said PMC’s vehicle is collecting garbage only from main areas and posh localities.

Last week, the Patna high court intervened in the matter and directed UDHD to immediately convene a meeting with all stakeholders to consider their legitimate demands.

Following the directives, UDHD principal secretary Anand Kishor held a meeting with representatives of striking unions.

However, leaders of the sanitation staff union said the talks on Friday and Saturday remained inconclusive as the department did not give any strong assurance for fulfilment of their demands.

Around 40,000 sanitation workers of 19 urban local bodies went on 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).

They are in support of 11-point demands including regularisation of contractual sanitation workers, equal pay for equal work, stop outsourcing, pension benefits, employment of family members of deceased workers on compassionate grounds.

Chandra Prakash Singh, president of the BLBKSSM, said the union has appealed to the deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav to intervene for the welfare of daily wage labourers.

Singh said, “Now, we appeal to the deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav to intervene and resolve the matter. The newly formed government has already promised 10lakh jobs. We demand the government to regularise the jobs of all sanitation staff working on a daily wage basis and fill other demands for their welfare.”

On the other hand, officials of PMC said that they were trying to keep the city clean with the help of outsourced staff and machines.

“We are trying to keep the city clean but striking staff are creating hurdles. An FIR was lodged against four named and many unknown people in Patliputra Circle on Saturday late evening for disrupting the cleaning work. Incidence of ruckus between outsourced workers and striking workers have been reported from other circles as well”, said a senior PMC official on Sunday.