TIRUPATI: Heaps of garbage have piled up on roads in major towns in the State as the Municipal Contract Workers Union went on strike three days ago demanding solution to its long pending demands.
In the Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT), as many as 1,350 contract sanitation workers have been participating in the strike. About 130 permanent workers have extended their support to the contract workers’ strike and boycotted their duties, bringing garbage collection to a grinding halt.
Households and commercial establishments in the temple town generate about 200 tonnes of garbage a day on an average, including 120 tonnes of wet and 70-80 tonnes of dry waste. As municipal workers stopped door-to-door collection of garbage, denizens have started dumping waste on roads.
According to an estimate, the uncleared garbage has accumulated to 500 tonnes, making major thoroughfares stink. Pilgrims visiting the temple are finding it difficult to bear the stench emanating from garbage heaps.
"We have no facility to store the waste for days. The only option left for us is to dump the garbage on the roadside. Since heaps of garbage have been left uncleared for the past three days during the monsoon, it may leads to outbreak of diseases," said a fruit vendor.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, MCT Health Officer Hari Krishna said, "The civic body has roped in 150 private workers on an emergency basis for clearing the garbage. The 150 workers equipped with 10 tractors, four compactors and four JCBs will also clear the clogged drains, culverts and manholes."
MCW Union leader Tulasidhar told The New Indian Express that they are determined to continue the strike till their genuine demands were met. State BJP chief Somu Veerraju extended his support to the municipal workers' stir and demanded that the State government concede their just demands.