Diwali over, litter lies strewn as safai workers act pricey

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 2

Post Diwali, sanitation seems to be forgotten for a while as heaps of garbage are seen lying along the roads in the city.

Surprisingly, residents of Vishal Nagar have alleged that sanitation workers in their area had demanded Rs 1,100 from them for cleaning the road strewn with residue of firecrackers.

Vishal Nagar resident Surbhi Aggarwal said the sanitation workers came to collect Diwali gifts on Monday but when they were asked to clean the roads in their area yesterday, they asked for money.

“When residents refused to give the money, the sanitation workers left without cleaning the street. The area was cleaned partially by rag pickers this morning,” she said.

Not only in this area, but garbage is lying unattended to in posh areas such as Civil Lines, Model Town and Namdev road among others.

Gurmeet Singh, a city resident, said, “It is unfortunate that the surroundings are not clean. The government makes tall claims but they are confined to papers. Garbage is often littered around the trash bins throughout the city as workers don’t come regularly.”

“It is a routine story. The MCB should come up with a permanent solution and should monitor the working of employees at the ground level,” he added.

Another resident Ankush Kumar said the MCB needed to fix accountability and keep a check on the working of their employees.

The city was the first in the state to rope in a private company for collecting and transporting garbage, but the scheme seems to have failed to a great extent, he added.