With sanitation workers on strike for the past 10 days and threatening to launch an indefinite agitation, Gurugram faces the possibility of a repeat of the 2024 sanitation crisis.
More than 3,500 metric tonnes of waste is estimated to be lying unattended at secondary collection points, street corners and outside residential gates, raising fears that the Millennium City could soon be buried under mounting garbage.
The impact of the strike is most visible in densely populated areas, including DLF Phases 1 to 3, Palam Vihar, Golf Course Extension Road, and sectors 5, 7, 7 Extension, 9, 9A, 10, 10A, 14, 21, 23, 31, 45, 46, 47, 50 and 69.
Residents have complained of disrupted waste collection and overflowing garbage dumps. They also pointed to worsening sanitation conditions in high-footfall areas such as Sadar Bazar, the bus stand and major intersections across the city.
According to residents, waste collectors have claimed that secondary collection points are already full, leaving them with no space to dump garbage. As a result, waste collection in several colonies has come to a halt, forcing residents to dump garbage on roadsides and roundabouts.
Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) have expressed serious concern over the deteriorating situation.
Pravin Yadav, president of United Gurugram RWAs, said the issue has gone far beyond a temporary inconvenience.
“It has become an annual affair since 2023. Every time sanitation workers go on strike, the entire waste management chain collapses. Societies that manage sanitation privately are coping to some extent, but areas completely dependent on the MCG are in a terrible condition. Garbage has not been lifted for days in some localities. We fear an outbreak of vector-borne diseases. It is a repeat of the 2024 crisis, and the authorities seem to have learned nothing,” he said.
The striking workers, represented by the Nagar Nigam Safai Karamchari Sangh, remain firm on their demands, which include regularisation of contractual staff, timely payment of arrears and implementation of a cashless medical facility.
Naresh Kumar, spokesperson for the union, said the workers were tired of “hollow promises”.
“We have been on the frontlines for years, yet we have no job security or health cover. The government was given time till May 10 to address our 11-point charter of demands. If our concerns continue to be ignored, the strike will not only continue but intensify across the state,” he warned.
As the May 10 deadline passed without any resolution, the district administration reportedly struggled to deploy private contractors, who were allegedly intimidated by striking union members.
Ravinder Yadav, Additional Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), acknowledged the challenges posed by the strike but said the administration was making every effort to manage the situation.
“Undoubtedly, the ongoing protest by sanitation workers has impacted waste management operations. However, efforts are being made to reach a middle ground and facilitate their return to work. In the meantime, sanitation operations are being carried out with the help of the remaining contractual workers,” he said.
