Officials on toes as sanitation workers continue strike

Press machines into action to meet the situation, says Nivas

A.P Municipal Workers JAC staging a protest at the Dharna Chowk in Vijayawada on Tuesday.

The mounds of garbage across the city due to the ongoing strike of the contract sanitation workers has put the officials of the Corporation including its chief and the Mayor on toes.

The workers, a majority of them sanitation workers, continued to strike duties on the sixth day demanding revocation of the order which allowed privatisation of the sanitation maintenance work and gave the right of employing workers to contractors.

With only a few permanent sanitation workers on hand, the VMC is struggling to clean up the city. Most of the dumper bins are overflowing with garbage and households are also feeling the heat with no door-to-door collection.

VMC commissioner J. Nivas appointed special officers to oversee the situation by coordinating with the sanitation inspectors and assistant health officers.

At a review meeting, Mr. Nivas asked officials concerned to allot an earth mover and five tippers and tractors in each of the three municipal administration circles to collect and dispose the garbage at the dumping yard.

He also asked the officials to rope in all the permanent workers and hire 10 workers on a temporary basis in every municipal division.

Mayor Koneru Sreedharblamed the Opposition parties including the YSRCP, the CPI and the CPI(M) and workers’ unions for misguiding the workers.

“No contract worker will be removed or their salaries be lowered. In fact, each worker will be paid ₹11,000. The Opposition parties and the unions are not explaining the benefits of the new system and are instead putting their jobs at risk,” Mr. Sreedhar said.

He called upon the protesting workers to join work as there was the danger of spreading of diseases.