The strike called by the sanitation workers demanding payment of pending salaries of the last three months entered its seventh day on Thursday. The sanitation workers, who gathered outside the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) on Thursday, said they would continue with the protest until they get salaries. They locked down headquarter of EDMC and forced senior officials to cancel meeting of standing committee.
“The Delhi Government released Rs119 crore for the Education Department but used to pay salaries to workers in haste to divert attention. They have not been given salaries for the past three months despite assurances by municipal corporation officials, forcing us to continue strike,” said Sanjay Gehlot, president of Delhi unit of MCD Swachhata Karmchari Union.
“We have been requesting the EDMC and the Delhi Government for permanent solution to delays in payment of salaries to all the employees, including sanitation workers, but there is no result yet. Now even, the employees of health, horticulture and education wings of the municipal corporation have made up their mind to go on strike,” said Gehlot.
Earlier on Wednesday, the agitated staff dumped heaps of garbage at the office of Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel and in other locations. The protests by sanitation workers in different parts of East Delhi also created chaos on the roads as they dumped garbage on the way.
Roads in major localities such as Vinod Nagar, Patparganj, Shahdara, Geeta Colony, Khajuri, Bhajanpura Kanti Nagar, Jhilmil, Shahdara and laxmi Nagar have turned into garbage dumps as over 2,000 metric tonnes of waste accumulated in East Delhi over the week.
“We haven’t got our salaries for the last three months. How will we surviveIJ We are not able to feed our children. The strike will only intensify in the coming days if they fail to meet our demands,” said one of the protesters.
The sanitation workers blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government and EDMC for not resolving the issue. However a senior EDMC official claimed that 2,614 metric tonnes of garbage was lifted on Wednesday, with the help of sanitation workers who have resumed work and private contractors. On Thursday, trucks made 235 trips and cleared 1,135.99 metric tons of garbage between 6 am and 4 pm, said a senior EDMC official.