Tribune News Service
Faridkot, June 23

As sanitation workers continue to strike work for more than 40 days now, local municipal committees have started burning the heaps of garbage piled up across the district.

Though the Cabinet had recently assured the workers of regularising their services, they refuse to end the strike in the absence of a foolproof solution.

A specter of trash-derived smoke laden with heavy metals and toxic dioxins has started adding to pollution, particularly problematic for those who suffer from lung-related diseases or Covid-19.

“Burning these swelling heaps of garbage is the only viable solution in the current situation as plastic bags are snagging in tree branches, floating on roads or clogging the stomachs of stray animals,” said an officer in the Kotkapura Municipal Committee, preferring not to be named.

“Officially, there are no orders, but unofficially this is the only workable solution to deal with the garbage mounds,” he said.

“The burnt garbage remnants contain highly concentrated amounts of these toxic materials, which is blowing away or seeping into the soil and groundwater,” said Sadhu Ram Deora, president, Lok Manch, a voluntary organisation for civil amenities.

“The government is not paying attention to our demands and the garbage doesn’t seem to bother it. So, we are being forced to continue our strike,” said Ashok Sharvan, president, Punjab Safai Karamcharis Union.