Safai sewaks’ strike leaves Mohali messy

Our Correspondent

Mohali, July 26

Safai sewaks of the Mohali Municipal Corporation (MC) continued their strike for the second consecutive day today, adversely affecting the sweeping work and removal of garbage in the city.

The protesters gathered at Phase IX here and marched towards the Municipal Bhawan in Sector 68. They raised slogans against the government and also burnt an effigy.

Expressing concern, residents said the lifting of garbage was necessary during the rainy season as its piling up would not only lead to foul smell, but may spread diseases also.

Mohali MC Commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta said the civic body was helpless in the matter as the government had rejected the demand of the protesters regarding the regularisation of the services of 328 safai sewaks. He said the sweeping work and lifting of garbage had been hit. Sweeping work at night was, however, going on. Security for those engaged in such work had been sought, Gupta said.

Pawan Godiyal, secretary of the Safai Mazdoor Federation, said the civic body was not following the government directions. He said at a meeting held on April 30, a local minister had given directions that no outsourcing could be done for works that were carried out on a regular basis. Workers had to be employed directly and not through a contractor.

The protesters’ demands included filling of 328 vacant posts through regular recruitment in the civic body, giving posts of drivers to those who had been driving vehicles for a long time, stopping of the contract system in departments, regularisation of the services of workers, implementation of the Pay Commission recommendations and an insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh for workers.