Garbage bins continued to be overfilled on Thursday, as union leaders and sanitation workers showed no sign of ending their strike. Finally waking up to the problem, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has pressed into service more than 400 Swachh Hyderabad teams to clear garbage from the streets.
Though the roads have been visibly dirty for the last three days, GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar maintained that things were ‘under control’.
“We have deployed 400 vehicles to pick up garbage. Each truck has four labourers to lift the garbage while Swachh units are authorised to engage 20 labourers at Rs. 350 per day to take up sanitation related works,” said Mr. Kumar. On being questioned about overflowing garbage bins in the city, he said it was due to the backlog from the last three days, as most of it was being collected daily.
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When asked if the present arrangement was sufficient to make up for 24,000 workers who are on strike, Mr. Kumar responded saying it would be enough as majority of the contract workers were sweepers. “We are also using 86 emergency monsoon vehicles along with 400 sanitation workers. A core team comprising a medical officer, Deputy Commissioner and others have been deployed for supervision,” he said.
The problem has only compounded for the GHMC as garbage generation in the month of Ramzan is higher due to increased commercial activity in the city, especially in the old city. Mr. Kumar appealed to the protesting workers and union leaders to call off the strike. He also asked shop owners and traders not to throw garbage on roads and dump it at the nearest transfer station.
“The matter will be decided at a policy level. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao himself said that the workers’ demands will be addressed,” he said.
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