Zirakpur buried under garbage as collectors’ strike continues

With door-to-door garbage collectors on strike for the past two days in Zirakpur, heaps of garbage have sprung up roadside, on empty plots and public spaces.

Residents said housing societies are also littered with waste, which back-to-back showers have resulted in foul stench.

Door-to-door garbage collection in Zirakpur area has come to a complete halt as the collectors are opposing local government’s move to privatise the system.

VIP Road in Zirakpur is dotted with heaps of garbage, with area residents also being forced to empty their bins roadsides now.

The market area too bears a dirty look with parking lots and corridors

littered with plastic waste.

“The officials concerned can come and assess the status of road cleanliness and maintenance. For past three days, garbage is being stored inside the societies. No one is picking it up. In rainy season, this is a true reflection of the Aam Aasmi Party (AAP) government’s accountability-based governance model,” said Vicy Thomas, a South City resident.

The AAP government’s Punjab Road Cleanliness Mission is also in tatters here with the Zirakpur Municipal Council reduced to a mute and hapless spectator, residents rued.

“There is no word yet on when the strike will end,” said Sumit Malik, a Dhakoli resident, raising concerns over the deteriorating situation.

Poor road conditions, unclean stretches, broken manholes and waterlogged roads are a regular sight at VIP Road here.

“Broken and open manholes dot every stretch of VIP Road. In rainy season, open manholes are difficult to spot as roads are waterlogged,” said Tanbir Dhaliwal, an area resident.