Garbage trucks and trolleys parked at the dumping ground during protest in Chandigarh on Monday. Sahil Walia
ALL GARBAGE trucks at Dadumajra were stopped from going towards the dumping ground by protesting sanitation workers here on Monday. The sanitation workers have been protesting owing to their pending demands, including jobs for dependents of deceased workers, filling up 532 vacant posts, regularisation of 126 daily wage earners and bringing workers under contractors within the jurisdiction of municipal corporation.
The protest was called off only after police arrived and conveyed to the protesters that a meeting with the home secretary over their pending demands had been fixed. In the morning, the sanitation workers had gathered near the motor garage in the Industrial Area to stop the vehicles from going but after police intervention, the situation was managed.
“However, about 200 safai karamcharis reached Dadumajra and stalled the garbage vehicles there,” said an MC official. It was around 3 pm when the safai karamcharis were assured of the meeting with the home secretary on September 19, that they allowed the trucks to go and the garbage was finally emptied at the dumping ground.
Sources said civic officials have decided to take stern action against the sanitation workers, if they continued with their protest. “If they continue with their protest, we will even dismiss them. We don’t want the general public to be harassed because of their agitation time and again,” said a senior official. Krishan Kumar Chadha, president of the union, said if their demands were not fulfilled, they would intensify their stir.
