Karnal is reeling under a sanitation crisis, with heaps of garbage piling up in markets and along roads across different parts of the city following the ongoing strike by sanitation workers of the Karnal Municipal Corporation (KMC).
With waste lying unattended, foul odour has engulfed several areas, forcing shopkeepers to burn trash in desperation. Meanwhile, sanitation employees have extended their state-wide strike till May 14, which officials fear could further worsen the situation.
On the call of the state body, sanitation workers under the banner of the Karnal Sanitation Employees Union took out a protest march in the city on Monday.
They reached the local MLA’s camp office, and submitted a memorandum to press their demands, including regularisation of contractual staff, implementation of minimum wages, and fulfilment of long-pending demands of fire service employees. Women workers staged a “Thali Bajao, Sarkar Jagao” protest, urging the government to pay heed to their demands.
Earlier, workers gathered outside Sanatan Dharam Mandir on Kunjpura road after getting information that the administration had engaged other staff to clear garbage for a government programme.
The move was strongly opposed by the workers, leading to a heated exchange between police personnel and sanitation workers.
Led by Karnal’s unit president Raj Kumar, the protesters took out a march through various parts of the city and announced the extension of their strike till May 14.
Meanwhile, some sanitation workers dumped waste from tractor-trolleys in front of stamp vendors’ booths near the Mini Secretariat in Sector 12, leaving stenographers struggling to work amid the stench.
“The government will regularise the employees. Instead of dumping garbage outside our booths, they should dump it outside the DC’s residence so their voice reaches the government,” said a stamp vendor.
Union leaders accused the government of attempting to break the strike and warned that no garbage would be lifted until their demands were met.
“The administration is trying to pressurise us, but we will not relent. When the work is permanent, the jobs should not remain temporary,” Raj Kumar said.
Another sanitation workers’ leader, Sharda, appealed to residents to support the agitation. “We will continue our fight. Stand with us so our voice reaches the government,” she said.
The sanitation workers have been on strike since May 1. As the agitation continues, streets across the city remain littered with waste, raising serious concerns over public health and hygiene.
