Sanitation worker dies at dharna site, Mohali MC puts waste collection project on hold

A sanitation worker reportedly died of heart attack while sitting on a protest at the Mohali Municipal Corporation office building in Sector 68 here early on Thursday morning.

Officials said it was not yet confirmed whether the victim, Surjit Singh around 60, a resident of Peer Sohana in Kharar, died due to cold weather or suffered a heart attack while sitting on a dharna.

Members of the Punjab Safai Mazdoor Federation were on a strike, demanding a hike in salary, regularisation of jobs and withdrawal of the online attendance system. They were opposing the door-to-door segregated waste collection project. With a sanitation employee’s death, the MC has bowed to the opposition and put the project on hold.

After Surjit died, sanitation staff announced that they would keep the body in the MC office building.

However, the Kharar police reached the deceased’s house and held talks with the family to cremate the body in the village, said Pawan Godyal, an office-bearer of the federation.

A confrontation ensued between family members, the sanitation employees’ union and the police. The body was later cremated in the village.

Earlier, a major standoff was averted at the MC office building between sanitation staff and the Local Government Department, with employees gathering in large numbers. A compromise was stuck later in the day to work out a solution within 15 days regarding all demands of sanitation staff.

Bowing to the opposition of sanitation staff to the launch of the MC’s flagship waste collection project, MC Commissioner Parminder Pal Singh Sandhu said, “The launch of the project has been put off for now. The government will take a further decision in this regard.”

On Wednesday, sanitation staff had gheraoed the MC office building, forcing Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh to abort the launch programme. The staff had threatened to intensify their agitation after talks with the MLA and the MC Commissioner failed to break the deadlock yesterday but a compromise was reached today.

Neighbouring Chandigarh and Panchkula have started door-to-door segregated waste collection way back in 2022.