Ranchi Municipal Corporation’s garbage tractor drivers went on a strike from Wednesday. All the tractors were queued up in Jhiri, the 30-acre dump yard of the State capital, as a protest to demand for an increase in their payment.
The tractor drivers get Rs 300 per trip to the landfill after collecting garbage from roads, wards and drains of the city. “It is not enough to cover our cost and this cannot go on for long. Even we have a family to feed,” said Bhola Kumar, a tractor driver. The drivers have demanded Rs 500 per trip to lift up the protest.
Another underlying problem lies with the number of trips these tractors undertake. The long queues and mismanagement of garbage disposal at the dump yard reduce the number of trips undertaken by these tractors engaged in contractual basis and thus curbing their daily payment amount. “An organised disposal system at the yard can help us to efficiently manage time,” added Kumar. The protest has brought the Capital’s garbage disposal system to a halt and is capable of causing serious issue in the city.
The municipal corporation authorities are in negotiation with the drivers about the problem according to a Mini Transfer Station staff. “The protest has to be dealt with immediately or the city will turn into a trash bin,” added the staff describing the urgency to solve the problem. The Deputy Mayor of Ranchi, Sanjeev Vijaywargiya said, “I am not fully aware of the matter but would surely look into it. It indeed is a serious issue as city hygiene depends on it.”