The Hindu 07.03.2011
Garbage piles up on city roads
With the sanitary workers strike entering the sixth day on Sunday, heaps
of garbage got piled up across the city. The Vijayawada Municipal
Corporation , despite all its contingency plans, could clear only 300
metric tonnes (MT) of garbage.
More than half the workforce has not been turning up for duty.
The contingency plans seem to have not been successful
as nearly 250 MT of garbage was left uncollected. The Vijayawada
Municipal Corporation (VMC) could clear about 130 dumper bins in the
city as against a total of 400 dumper bins.
The strike is being spearheaded by the CITU-affiliated Municipal Corporation Workers’ Union.
The garbage on connecting roads, arterial and internal
roads could not be cleared. It was glaringly evident in areas like
Maruti Nagar abutting Eluru Road.
The city generates nearly 550 MT of garbage daily.
The six main demands of the union include regularisation
of services of workers serving on a contract basis, approval of Rs.
6,700 as minimum wage, grant of 15 days casual leave, issue of identity
cards, coverage under insurance scheme and talks between union leaders
and Regional Director at regular interval to keep the higher-ups abreast
of the problems.