The ongoing strike of sanitation workers in Karnal entered its 13th day on Wednesday, severely affecting cleanliness work across the city and brewing resentment among residents. The situation worsened further from Tuesday after workers of the private agency engaged in door-to-door garbage collection also extended support to the strike, leading to complete disruption of waste collection in several areas.
Heaps of garbage can be seen lying unattended on roadsides, in markets, while overflowing dustbins inside residences emit foul smell and create unhygienic conditions.
Residents complained that stray animals were scattering waste on roads, making the situation even more pathetic. Many people expressed concern over the possible spread of diseases due to rotting and stagnant waste.
In many localities, residents were forced to keep garbage bags inside their homes as collection vehicles failed to arrive for the past several days.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders led by district urban president Parag Gaba, Joginder Valmiki and other party workers extended support to protesting employees and criticised the government for its “stubborn and insensitive attitude”.
“The government should immediately hold talks with employees and resolve their genuine demands instead of adopting an adamant approach. The common public is suffering because of the government’s failure,” said Gaba.
Joginder Valmiki said sanitation workers had been demanding justice for a long time, but their concerns were being ignored. “These workers keep the city clean day and night, but today they are being forced to sit on roads for their rights,” he added.
Raj Kumar, president of the Karnal Municipal Employees Union, said employees were demanding regularisation of contractual workers. “The government is not serious about resolving the issue. The strike will continue till our demands are accepted,” he said.
Meanwhile, sanitation workers reached out to the general public and made them aware about their issues. They also sought their cooperation in their strike.
Officials are worried that the ongoing sanitation crisis may affect Karnal’s performance in the upcoming Swachh Survekshan assessment, as the survey team can visit the city anytime this month. Karnal had secured third rank in the country in the “Swachh Shehar” category (population 50,000–3 lakh) during Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 and became Haryana’s first city to receive the award from President Droupadi Murmu.
After this achievement, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative under which Karnal was assigned mentoring responsibilities for five smaller municipal bodies — Siwan, Ismailabad, Narnaund, Kalanwali and Rajound.
A senior official of the Karnal Municipal Corporation (KMC), on the condition of anonymity, admitted that the strike was affecting sanitation arrangements badly in the city.
