The sanitation workers who were on hunger strike since March 20 have broken their fast on the assurance from Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari to meet their demands including regularisation of daily wage sanitation workers.
Addressing workers, Tiwari said “We understand that your demands are genuine and you deserve it but due to prevailing financial crisis it was delayed. But now the corporation has decided to fulfill your demands.
Tiwari also expressed hope that now the workers will put up their efforts to bring the changes and help in achieving the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission.
Meanwhile, Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken on Saturday also met with sanitation workers. He said the demands such as regularization of temporary employees, clearance of their pending arrears, uniforms; pension, cashless medical card etc are not new and pending for decades. “The official or leaders of the corporation have also not given any assurance to the sanitation workers that those temporary sanitation workers up to 2017 would be regularised or not,” he said.
Maken further said that sanitation workers never went on strike or agitations to get their salaries and for the fulfillment of their demands during the Congress rule in municipal corporations. “It is indeed very sad that the sanitation workers, who play a pivotal role in keeping Delhi neat and clean, are forced to go on hunger strike.
Randhir Gagat who was on hunger strike along with other workers assured that they would now focus on their duties and would clear all garbage as soon as possible.
North Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor, Preety Agarwal said that most of the demands of sanitation workers have been accepted. She said that to provide cashless medical facility to them has also been approved.
She also made an appeal to the workers to make the city clean by putting extra efforts.
Agarwal further said that along with their salary, sanitation workers will be paid Rs 5000 per month as part of payment of pending arrear. Attacking Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal for not meeting with workers after giving time, she said that the CM is only indulging in party politics by not releasing the due funds of the corporation.