The Hindu 04.08.2012
Stinking garbage a blight on city landscape
UNBEARABLE STENCH:Garbage piled up on Nethaji Road and West Masi Street
follwing a strike by corporation contract drivers on Friday.— Photos: G.
Moorthy
Removal of garbage within the corporation limits hit as contract drivers strike work
Removal of garbage within the Madurai Corporation limits
has been affected after around 60 contract drivers went on strike for
the third day on Friday demanding regularisation of their services.
Though
the Corporation administration has been trying to make do with the
absence of the striking employees by utilising their regular drivers,
they could not prevent piling up of garbage in various parts of the
city.
Corporation Deputy Commissioner, K. Sambhavi,
said that it was not possible for the Corporation to regularise the
services of labourers who were employed by the contractor. According to
Corporation sources, the employees were also sore over underpayment by
the contractors.
Ruling party zonal chairperson P.
Salaimuthu, had raised the contractor labour system during the last
council meeting. He said that the system had only helped the contractors
make huge profit, while the working class were denied their rightful
wages. He said that at least 50 per cent of the wages fixed by the
Collector was taken away by the contractor.
Councillors
had been seeking the Corporation to make payment to the contractor
labourers directly through their bank account to prevent irregularities.
However, Ms. Sambhavi said that it was not possible for the corporation
to make direct payment to the workers employed by the contractors.
She
added that besides asking the permanent drivers to ply dumper placers
for additional trips for clearing the garbage, she said the contractors
had been asked to provide with fresh hands to manage the situation.
She
said that mass cleaning programme was scheduled for Saturday when the
permanent employees would be deployed to clean the Mattuthavani
Integrated Bus stand, Arapalayam bus stand to Guru Theatre, in and
around Mariamman Teppakulam and Palanganatham bus stand.