BHUBANESWAR : Amid a serious crisis of solid waste management in the capital city, hundreds of sanitation workers under the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday launched an indefinite cease work affecting garbage collection in at least 53 wards.
The agitating workers gathered in large numbers at Rajmahal square seeking wage hike and stopping manual waste segregation at the waste handling units. The sanitation workers alleged that despite being engaged in cleaning and garbage lifting work for years, their wage has not been hiked.
“The state government has increased wages of nearly all sections of employees working under it, but we have remained neglected for years,” said a sanitation worker seeking a minimum Rs 15,000 wage for those working in the BMC jurisdiction.
The sanitation workers also alleged that despite working outdoors and dealing with hazardous waste, they are not being provided with adequate protective gear. “We work round-the-clock to make Bhubaneswar one of the cleanest city in the country. If our demand is not met, we will not lift the waste and also not allow the civic body to replace us with anyone,” threatened another sanitation worker.
BMC officials, however, said that they are holding talks with the sanitation workers to consider their grievances and resolve their issues at the earliest.