Entire Jammu city turns into garbage dump as Municipal workers resume strike

Garbage dump at Zorawar Chowk near Bahu Plaza. -Excelsior/Rakesh
Garbage dump at Zorawar Chowk near Bahu Plaza. -Excelsior/Rakesh

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 5: Entire Jammu city turned into a garbage dump today as Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) workers including Safai Karamcharis resumed their strike in support of their demands.
Municipal workers under the banner of Civic Safai Karamchari Union (CSKU), Clerical Union and Drivers and Cleaners Union (DCU) resumed strike this morning after deadline given to authorities including Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh by the workers ended.
Rinku Gill, President Civic Safai Karamchari Union (CSKU), Ranjit Singh, President, Drivers and Cleaners Union and Rohit George, President, Clerical Union of JMC stated that numbers of times they met Municipal Commissioner and submitted their demands but no positive action has been taken by JMC administration.
While talking to the Excelsior, Rohit George, President, Clerical Union said that this protest will go on till their demands are met.
He stated that despite lapse of over four months, JMC authorities paid no heed to their demands forcing them to go on strike. He demanded re-organization of the JMC, scrapping of NGO system in JMC, deployment of Municipal employees in wards instead of parking lots, regularization of contractual drivers and issuance of DPC promotion orders of municipal employees of various cadres.
“Earlier in the month of December, on the assurance of JMC authorities that the demands will be settled, we suspended our strike. But after the expiry of over four months and no action was taken over the ultimatum of resuming strike submitted to the Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh around 10 days back, which ended this morning and the workers resumed their strike”, Rinku Gill said.
With the strike of Safai Karamcharis, the entire city has been turned into a ghetto with heaps of garbage were lying scattered everywhere including busy Jewel Chowk, Dogra Chowk, Residency Road, Indira Chowk, Parade, Satwari, Gandhi Nagar etc.
The drains which are filled with garbage and filth have also chocked in Jewel and other areas of the city with accumulated drainage water running on roadside adding to the insanitation.
People apprehend that if this situation will persist for another one or two days the epidemic can grip the entire Jammu city.
A resident of Gandhi Nagar Vishal Sharma stated that if the JMC workers remained on strike for few more days, then there will be possible outbreak of diseases.
He hoped that the JMC authorities will redress the issues of these low paid workers for the convenience of the masses, who otherwise will get affected due to the strike.