Gurugram in mess again amid strike by garbage collectors
Sumedha Sharma
Gurugram, January 25
Waste collectors of Ecogreen, a solid waste management concessionaire, have gone on strike over the non-payment of their salaries for five months, leaving Gurugram in a state of mess again. They have also sought the intervention of Municipal Commissioner (Gurugram) Narhari Bangar to get their dues released.
Waste not lifted for two days
The workers have gone on strike and the garbage has not been lifted for two days. We have deployed emergency workers and are trying to normalise the situation, which might take some time. We have sought support from local RWAs to aid in the garbage collection work to ensure that the roads remain clean. Narhari Bangar, Gurugram Municipal Commissioner
The striking employees have stopped the door-to-door collection of garbage from homes and secondary waste collection points since yesterday, leaving the entire city in a limbo. Bangar has announced a contingency plan and sought public support for the same.
Meanwhile, officials of the Municipal Corporation, Gurugram (MCG), said they are “better equipped” this time and have hired two private agencies for the secondary waste collection, which started on Wednesday. The MCG has now asked other sanitation agencies, which sweep roads and public places, and vendors, along with members of resident welfare associations (RWAs), to step in for the door-to-door waste collection work.
“The workers have gone on strike and the garbage has not been lifted for two days. We have put emergency workers in place and are trying to normalise the situation, which might take some time. We have sought support from local RWAs to aid in the garbage collection to ensure that the roads remain clean,” said MCG Commissioner.
According to a senior official in Ecogreen, the MCG has not paid an outstanding amount of Rs 80 crore.
The civic body also recently forfeited Ecogreen’s bank guarantee of Rs 33.4 crore to recover funds for works executed at the concessionaire’s cost, sources said.
“We have stopped collecting waste at primary and secondary levels. The transportation of waste to Bandhwari has also been stopped over the non-payment of dues by the MCG, who are aware of the strike,” said an Ecogreen representative.
Meanwhile, RWAs have urged the MCG to resolve the issue at earliest. “The city has still not recovered from the mess created in the wake of the recent strikes by the sanitation workers, and now this strike by the waste collectors of Ecogreen has added to the woes of city residents.
The RWAs have offered to take up the sanitation work, but we want better remuneration, which is the only solution. The residents will now have to go on strike to ensure that the areas are cleaned,” said United Gurugram RWAs President Parveen Yadav.
Meanwhile, Bangar has also issued a warning to premium builder colonies to abstain from disposing of garbage on the roads.
“Residents of posh colonies often throw waste in the open. In order to ensure that the city remains clean, not only we will penalise the offenders, but also fine the RWAs,” he said.
