Doon stinks as safai karamcharis’ stir on

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 16

The mounds of garbage continued to dot the streets of Dehradun on Wednesday as the district authorities failed to end the strike of safai karamcharis of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC). Protesting for the last nine days, the safai karamcharis have refused to lift garbage from the city and the district administration has failed to make any alternative arrangements.

As a last resort, the authorities even suspended 164 striking karamcharis and at several places the garbage was lifted at night. But this has failed to give respite to the residents who do not know what to do with the daily waste. “After the corporations were dissolved, former councillors are not coming forward to address the woes of the residents,” said Deepali a resident.

Only 80 tonnes of garbage has so far been lifted.

Though the administration did take the help of contractual staff for lifting of garbage, there are several areas in the city where the mounds of garbage remained unattended. 

A delegation of Congress leaders led by Suryakant Dhasmana and former minister Dinesh Agarwal met Governor Dr KK Paul and drew his attention towards the continuing  garbage problem.

Significantly, the safai karamcharis went on strike after one of them had an altercation with the former Mayor Vinod Chamoli on his last day in office.