EDMC sanitation workers strike: East Delhi garbage raises fear of disease

New Delhi: The civic condition in east Delhi and AAP-MCD politics seemed to turn messier with garbage dumped in the open in areas in East Delhi's Laxmi Nagar and Patparganj as the sanitation workers continued with their strike on Monday. 

Delhi: Sanitation workers stage massive protest against the Delhi Govt and Centre over salary issue pic.twitter.com/abtFpm700H

— ANI (@ANI_news) January 9, 2017

East Delhi generates a large quantity of garbage with Ghazipur landfill site receiving on an average 2,500 tonnes of waste daily. The residents complained of inconvenience caused due to the piling up of garbage. Garbage strewn on roads in Laxmi Nagar as sanitation workers continue with their strike. (ANI Photo)

Garbage is piling up since last week, not only is the smell a big problem but we also fear spread of diseases: Laxmi Nagar resident #Delhi pic.twitter.com/Dto4bIoKZq — ANI (@ANI_news) January 9, 2017

The sanitation workers have called for an indefinite strike earlier on Thursday demanding payment of pending salaries of three months. The strike has turned the area which also has a number of unauthorised colonies in a mess. The strike has turned the area which also has a number of unauthorised colonies in a mess. (ANI Photo) The workers have also raised their other demands including regularisation of staff and clearance of arrears. "We are yet to be paid our three months' salary (October-December), DA, bonus due to which we aren't able to pay school fees of children and marriages have been postponed. We will continue with the strike, until our demands our met," president of Delhi unit of MCD Swachhata Karmchari Union Sanjay Gehlot said on Monday. "If our demands are not met, we will take sterner stand from Monday," he said and claimed that 17,000 sanitation workers are participating in the strike. The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) workers had earlier struck work in January and October in 2015, posing serious health and hygiene challenge to the authorities. The strike in 2015 was called off after the intervention of the Delhi High Court. On January 8, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia claimed that the Arvind Kejriwal dispensation has given "more funds" to civic bodies than any other previous governments. "This government (AAP) has given more funds to the municipal corporations than any other governments in the past. I don't know where do they spend it," he said. "The political executive of the municipal corporation takes interest in things like not letting the MLAs do their works under development funds, and ask municipal corporation officials to not roam around with MLAs. But, what do they do with funds given by us," he asked. Sisodia also alleged that BJP-ruled civic bodies were "busy extracting bribe and not taxes". "If they would collect taxes properly, from half of its amount they can pay for the salaries of these employees. But, we don't know which drain they flush the money," he alleged. The BJP-ruled corporations have blamed the AAP government for the civic mess in the capital. "You (media) should ask the MCD, what happened to the fund we gave them. What are they accusing us of," he said. While AAP MLA from Kondli Manoj Kumar. claimed "Delhi government has given more money to the MCD than what should have been given. If you didn't have money, you should have requested for funds to the Delhi government in advance."