Workers resume door-to-door waste collection

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 6

Staff of the solid waste management company, who suspended door-to-door garbage collection yesterday, has resumed its work on Friday morning. The company workers in the Chheharta area had stopped work on Tuesday morning due to non-payment of salaries since September. The MC has paid Rs 75 lakh to pay salaries of September. The company officials claimed that the salaries of October and November were still pending.

Manoj Kumar, in-charge of the solid waste management company, said, “The company resumed the garbage collection work on Friday morning. The garbage lifting was suspended only for one day. The company has around Rs 8 crore pending with the MC. But we need Rs 1.25 crore every month to pay salaries and other expenses.”

Meanwhile, the MC has reportedly issued notice to the company and imposed a penalty of Rs 65 lakh for repeatedly suspending work.

“We did not get any penalty notice till the date. I can’t comment without going through the notice”, said Manoj.

The strike has been become a routine affair as company employees often stop work claiming non-payment of their salaries.

In April, Mayor Karmajit Singh Rintu had assured the company officials that the civic body would pay the amount equivalent to the functioning charges, ie fuel and salaries of employees. The firm had assured that its employees would not suspend the work in future.

“The salary of two months is pending. We are doing this job for salary. We don’t know what is dispute between MC and company but we need salaries regularly, said an employees of the solid waste management company.