Garbage collectors refuse to budge

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 15

While the committee constituted by the Municipal Corporation for seeking the views of all stakeholders regarding the scheme of solid waste management in the city failed to reach any consensus over garbage collection, door-to-door garbage collectors have refused to budge from their stand.

The garbage collectors have made it clear to the Municipal Corporation that they won’t work under it and continue to work independently.

Surinder Kangra, president of the Door-to-Door Garbage Collectors’ Union, said if the Municipal Corporation won’t listen to their demands, they would have no option but to start another strike.

He said door-to-door garbage collectors had started a signature campaign in a big way. They would present it before the next MC General House meeting to show that over 2 lakh people are happy with the present system and support them.

Sources said a large number of residents had already come out in their support.

The Mayor has formed the committee under the chairpersonship of councilor Raj Bala Malik. Other members of committee were Rajesh Kumar Gupta, Anil Kumar Dubey, Mahesh Inder Singh Sidhu, Farmila and Anil Kumar Garg, Additional Commissioner, MC.

The committee members were told to submit a report on waste collectors’ view to the Mayor within a week, but the time got over and last meeting was also deferred.

The committee called representatives of the waste collectors twice to know their views in respect of the scheme proposed by the MC.

The civic body wants to take over the entire waste collection system and offer jobs to the present garbage collectors on a salary basis.

Kangra said they would not change their stand as people were happy with the present system. People witnessed mismanagement in the collection of garbage by the civic body when they observed the strike months ago to protest the MC’s move to take over waste collection duties from private players in the city.

Kangra said private collectors too have agreed that they would be collecting dry and wet waste separately and help the civic body in its effort, but the entire system should run as per the present practice.