Delhi: 8000 tonnes of garbage lifted as sanitation workers resume work
Residents of north and east Delhi breathed easy as municipal employees returned to work on Tuesday and the corporations began clearing out garbage piling on the streets for nearly two weeks.
Residents of north and east Delhi breathed easy as municipal employees returned to work on Tuesday and the corporations began clearing out garbage piling on the streets for nearly two weeks.
Some unions, however, continued the protest and held demonstrations across the city.
Meanwhile, the Delhi BJP alleged that the allocation of funds by the Delhi government was anti-Dalit as it had a condition that the corporations do away with contractual staff.
“AAP promised to regularise the services of temporary employees, especially the safai karamchari but after coming to power this Kejriwal government has back-tracked. As per a circular to the municipal corporations on February 4, the government has asked the corporations to do way with temporary employees,” said Satish Upadhyay, Delhi BJP chief.
According to the municipal officials, the entire sanitation machinery was pressed into cleaning and disposing of garbage from Monday and over 8,000 tonnes of garbage was collected and disposed of in North and East Delhi.
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According to municipal officials, while it will take at least two to three days to bring things back to normal, others services including teaching, issuing of certificates and treatment of patients at hospitals had already begun.
“Zonal officers have been asked to make sure garbage is lifted from every road with special attention to areas that are heavily populated. In case of other services, the heads of departments have been asked to keep a check on employee attendance and make sure that all workers have resumed their duties,” said a senior official.
The sanitation workers of the three municipal corporations had on Monday agreed before the Delhi high court to call off their strike and resume work immediately after the three BJP-ruled corporations said they had released their wages, though the two camps have failed to reach any long-term resolution.
“We are protesting against Delhi government because the conditions for the `551 crore loan extended to the municipal corporations are against employees,” claimed Sanjay Gehlot president of the Sanyukt Morcha.
The high court will hear the matter once again on Wednesday, where the unions are expected to seek a permanent solution for the salary disbursement. The workers unions have claimed that they will take a final call on the strike after Wednesday’s hearing.
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