SANITATION STAFF’S STIR RAISES STINK

All districts are stinking as the sanitation staff’s strike, which began 15 days ago, continues leading to piles of garbage being left unattended.

The situation worsened with heavy rains causing the garbage to stink. People feared the spread of diseases if the strike does not end immediately. There has been no effort from the state government to resolve the strike for the past two weeks.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had convened a meeting with panchayat raj and rural development officials last week to discuss the issue. However, after the meeting, Mr Rao only said that there was a need to increase the number of sanitation staff and admitted that they were getting meagre salaries. But he made no effort to increase their salaries or to pacify the agitating staff into withdrawing the strike.

Consequently, the angry staff has further intensified their strike in all the districts. The staff are demanding an increase in salary and regularisation of their jobs. All the Oppostion parties have expressed support to the strike.

With no garbage collection for the last 15 days, heaps of garbage have piled up in all the districts. The residents are worried as the garbage spilling on the streets is mingling with stagnant rainwater causing health hazards in localities. Moreover, the presence of garbage and debris has attracted stray animals to come and are often seen feeding on the disposed garbage and ending up scattering it. Not only sanitation of roads, the streetlights have also been switched off with no staff to monitor them, leading to darkness in villages in the districts.

The sanitary workers associations are demanding that the government solved their problems immediately.