Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 7: Entire Jammu city turned into a garbage dump today as Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) workers including Safai Karamcharis went on strike in support of their demands.
Municipal workers under the banner of Civic Safai Karamchari Union (CSKU), Sanitary Supervisors’ Union (SSU) and Drivers and Cleaners Union (DCU) resumed strike this morning after the authorities failed to fulfill their demands despite given notice of the strike in advance.
Rinku Gill, president, Civic Safai Karamchari Union (CSKU), Gulzar Massih, president, Drivers and Cleaners Union and Shahzadi Gill, president, Sanitary Supervisors’ Union, JMC stated that they had submitted a charter of demands to Municipal Commissioner and warned of the strike in advance but no positive action was taken by JMC administration. He said as no body from administration today came forward to talk to us regarding our demands, we have unanimously decided to observed strike tomorrow also.
We have been struggling for our demands for last many years but JMC authorities paid no heed to our demands forcing us to go on strike. He demanded re-organization of the JMC, regularization of 33 contractual drivers, 200 Safai Karamcharis, Computer Operators and Technical Assistants/Surveyors working in the Corporation and filling vacant post of Safai Karamcharis.
He also demanded sanctioning of leave to daily wager employees, curb on hiring vehicles from outside and sanctioning of weekly/gazetted holidays to Safai Karanmcharis, conducting DPC of all cadre employees, scrapping of outsourcing of wards, NGO system and appointment of daily wager Safai Karamcharis, sanctioning of new Municipal Colony for Safai Karamcharis, etc.
With the strike of Safai Karamcharis, the entire city wore an ugly look as heaps of garbage were lying scattered everywhere including old city areas like Pacca Danga, Jain Bazaar, Parade, Panjtirthi, Jewel Chowk, Dogra Chowk, Residency Road, Indira Chowk, Parade, Satwari, Gandhi Nagar etc.
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 old city, Dheeraj 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.
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