Delhiites got a slight breather on Tuesday as a section of the municipal sanitation staff that has been on strike since January 27 returned to work and cleared garbage from the streets of North and East Delhi.
Some of the unions representing the protesting workers had agreed on Monday to suspend their strike for two days, till the High Court gave its decision on their demands. The workers of the North and East corporations, which are financially crippled, had not been paid for three months when they launched an indefinite strike on January 27.
With workers under the United Front of MCD Employees, which represents 26 smaller unions, returning to work on Tuesday after a fortnight, officials said about 8,000 metric tonnes of garbage was cleared from North and East Delhi.
A senior North Delhi Municipal Corporation official said that authorities at the zonal level had been instructed to clear trash from the roads, where it had accumulated over the past two weeks. However, sanitation services were not back to normal as a large group of workers continued their strike. The Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha, which includes members from 38 unions, carried on the strike. A group of workers even protested outside the residence of AAP Minister Kapil Mishra in Yamuna Vihar. The workers who had suspended the strike said they would decide the future course of action after the High Court hearing on Wednesday.
