Delhiites may once again face the heat of ongoing sanitation crisis after a section of civic bodies sanitation workers on Friday went on strike pressing for fulfillment of their “long-pending” demands, including timely payment of salaries, amid the festive season.
After promising due disposal of salaries to sanitation workers a few months ago, the municipal agencies have failed to give a single penny to safai karamcharis, claimed sources. Not only will the special sanitation drive under Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan be affected till the workers’ demands are met, the littered streets amid the festive spirit of Dussehra and Durga Puja will add to the chaos in the Capital.
“All the promises that were made by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and municipal agencies were false and baseless. We were not given a single penny after Kejriwal said they will transfer money to MCDs. We have been protesting for the last 100 days as safai karamcharis were not given their due salaries. The Commissioners have also raised their hands and said they do not have money to pay the dues. Now we have called out a strike and it will continue till our demands are met,” said Rajender Mewati, President of Safai Karamchari Union.
Early morning, sanitation workers of all 12 zones under banner of, United Front of MCD workers, stopped collecting garbage from their respective areas and cleaning streets demanding immediate release of their salaries along with fulfilment of other promises. The workers claim their salaries have not been paid since August and there is uncertainty over other demands too. And with Diwali coming up, the cleanliness in the surrounding festive spirit will go for a toss. “We will dump garbage on the streets and this time it will be even worse than expected. In the coming two-three days the garbage will be on the streets. It is a fight between the Delhi Government and the Centre where sanitation workers are at the receiving end,” Mewati added.
According to the data released by Delhi Government, North DMC received 996.56 cr funds released till October 2015 against 771.59 cr in October 2014, South MCD received 873.20 cr as against 668.23 cr in 2014 and East DMC received 500.97 cr against 419.86 cr in 2014. Rejecting the claims that Delhi Government owes global share to the MCD, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said, “The money released by the AAP Government till date is much more than what was released to them during the same period last year. DDA owes a huge sum of amount to all the three corporations in terms of property tax which should be taken from them.”
However, calling the strike by sanitation workers a rumour, North MCD Mayor Ravinder Gupta said, “The sanitation staff has been paid their salary and their demand of payment of arrear is also under consideration and efforts are being made to meet the same. The Mayor said that today all the three Mayors would see Deputy CM to press their demand to release due funds and appeal them to work in coordination with the local Bodies in the interest of the citizens.
There are total 5,7000 safai karamcharis who have been demanding timely payment of due salaries, release of arrears, regularisation of contractual workers, and issuance of medical cards. Due to this, the sanitation workers are battling grave financial crisis. A sanitation worker, who had not been paid arrears since February 2014, committed suicide in south Delhi two months back.