The ongoing strike by sanitation workers since August 6 entered its 13th day on Tuesday, choking various parts of Haryana with heaps of garbage piling up in markets, residential areas and government offices.
On Tuesday, sanitation and municipal employees across the state stepped up their agitation by locking civic offices, holding demonstrations and burning effigies of the state’s local bodies minister, leaving garbage collection and civic services severely disrupted.
They held protests at several places and warned that the agitation could be intensified further if the government failed to issue written orders implementing the assurances. The strike should end at the earliest. Later, the workers led by Sarv Karamchari Sangh’s Karnal unit chief Sushil Gurjar, and Municipal Employees Union’s district president Raj Kumar burnt effigies outside the mini secretariat and marched towards the residence of mayor Renu Bala Gupta.
The Haryana Municipal Employees Union said the government had agreed to the 17 demands on May 13 but has failed to issue formal orders. The government, however, has maintained that action has been taken on 10 of the 17 demands. Vanshul Bathla, a resident of Railway Road, said, “Though door-to-door garbage collection is still working, its timings are not fixed due to which shopkeepers throw waste in the corners and there is no lifting. Because the government had failed to act on the demands agreed upon on May 13, municipal Employees Union district president Shambhu Tank said the workers did not want to inconvenience the public but had been forced to intensify their protest.
The employees, observing August 18 as “Betrayal Day”, accused the state government of failing to implement the 17-point agreement reached with their representatives on May 13. Sunny Budhija from the Ram Nagar area said that the recent rain has added to the woes, making it difficult to stand outside for even a few minutes.
