HYDERABAD: Rain added to the misery of Hyderabadis grappling with the stinking streets and uncleared garbage as the Telangana Municipal Corporation Workers’ strike entered its ninth day. According to an estimate, close to 20,000 tonnes of garbage is piled up across the city, raising the stench. As rain lashed the city on Tuesday evening, drains got clogged and garbage started floating on the flooded streets giving a hard time to commuters.
With the ongoing strike lasting longer than the Telangana government’s much-hyped Swachh Hyderabad campaign, the government cracked the whip and threatened to take strict action against the workers.
However, though some of the workers re-joined work, clearing tonnes of garbage piled up across the city appears like an insurmountable task for the civic body.
Putting on a brave face, GHMC officials claimed that 95 per cent of the municipal workers rejoined duty on Tuesday, when only 5 per cent have called off the strike. Around 3000 metric tonnes of garbage, which is equal to one day’s waste, has been removed so far, but the heavy rain has made the task even more difficult.
Meanwhile, GHMC special officer Somesh Kumar said that 14,720 workers attended duty on Tuesday, following chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s call. He requested all municipal workers to join work and assured them that all their demands would be met.
“The government is taking this issue very seriously. Very shortly, they will resolve all your issues. We had discussions on this matter today and chief minister KCR agreed to resolve this matter very quickly,” informed Somesh Kumar. “This is a very critical time, the Ramzan season is going on, and Bonalu will start shortly. So we request all of you to join work,” pleaded Somesh. He warned that anybody taking law into their hands will be dealt with firmly.