Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 31: Sanitation condition in Jammu city, particularly in old city has started worsening as Safai Karamcharis strike enters 3rd day today.
On Monday morning, the Safai Karamcharis as well as drivers and cleaners of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) went on indefinite strike after the Government failed to fulfill their long pending demands despite issuance of notice of strike in advance by the Safai Karamcharis’ Union.
Heaps of garbage can be seen at every corner and their sizes have started increasing with each passing day. The filth and garbage has started stinking, but the municipal corporation authorities are quite indifferent to the worsening situation.
The residents from all areas are making complaints, saying that there is no space left in the streets, where garbage had not been gathered but it is not being cleared since the Safai Karamcharis are on an indefinite strike. The residents regretted that JMC officials are not serious to solve the condition.
People feared that diseases may spread, if the cities were not cleaned. “The dirty drains were choking and overflowing, leaving no space on roads for the passersby, who have to wade through the sewer water, spreading over on the roads,” they added.
The citizens stated that JMC Commissioner and other officers have not taken the matter seriously and had become mere spectators to the worsening condition, while the city has been littered with filth and garbage. They warned that if the present situation continued, an epidemic would spread.
Meanwhile, Rinku Gill, president of Safai Karamcharis’ Union, while talking to Excelsior, said that he along with other leaders of the association today met Mayor Chander Mohan Gupta on the latter’s invitation but nothing came out from the meeting as they wanted us to suspend strike just on assurances.
Gill said that they had informed the Mayor that they will not suspend their strike till their major demands like regularization of 181 Safai Karamcharis working in the department on daily wages, scrapping of NGO system and regularization of contractual/daily wager drivers, are not fulfilled.
Meanwhile, Advocate Suresh Kumar Dogra, chairman, OBC Department of Pradesh Congress Committee J&K, along with Parshotam Lal Mehra (vice-chairman) joined the protesting Safai Karamcharis at Town Hall, Jammu. Extending support to their agitation, Suresh Dogra said the demands of the Safai Karamcharis are justified. He said as JMC is outsourcing wards for cleanliness, it will produce unemployment among this section. He appealed Governor Satya Pal Malik to fulfill due demands of the agitating Safai Karamcharis for their survival.
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