Trash piles raise health concerns, traffic snarls haunt commuters

Garbage can be seen strewn outside streetside dumps in the areas under the East and North Corporations raising health concerns among the locals as the municipal employees including sanitation workers are on an indefinite strike for the past nine days.

Even office-goers are up in arms over frequent traffic snarls as they face hard time reaching their destinations during rush hours.

North and East Corporations’ employees have gone on an indefinite strike demanding timely payment of salaries and clearance of arrears.

“The city has been paralysed by the ongoing strike by the municipal employees. Garbage has been piling up ever since they have struck work. Nobody seems interested to find a solution to this mess,” said Reena Thakur, who lives in Dilshad Garden.

“The city government offered a bailout package to the municipalities, but in the form of loan. While the move irked municipal corporations and again blame game ensued, the employees’ unions said that they won’t end strike until the city government and the three civic agencies finds a permanent solution,” she added.

Deccan Herald visited Dilshad Garden, Seemapuri and Tahirpur in east Delhi and found waste lying on roadsides. “One can find garbage scattered in almost all the local markets in Dilshad Garden,” said Purohit Gupta, a retired government employee.

People of east Delhi are also having a hard time due to traffic jams.
“I am getting late to reach office no matter how early I start because I have been getting stuck in traffic jam since the MCD employees have gone on strike starting January 27,” said Sudhanshu Garg, who takes Ring Road to reach his office in Karol Bagh.

“The more early I start the bigger jam I get stuck into. Why can’t the administration leave politics aside and accept the protesting employees’ demands which include timely payment of salaries. Nobody will work if he is not paid so their demand seems fair to us,” he added.

The striking employees have been apologising to the general public as they did not want to strike work.

“We had to resort to strike because of the apathetic attitude of both the city government and municipal corporations. They were not bothered of us and we continued to work without getting paid for the past three months. Had we not gone on strike, the city government wouldn’t have released any amount,” said Sanjay Gehlot, president of Swatantra Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukt Morcha.