Bihar: Swachh Bharat in shambles as civic staff strike enters third day

Source: freepressjournal.in

At Patna, where 4500 workers are on strike, the employees dumped carcasses of cows, goats and dogs at Patna Municipal Corporation offices at Maurya Lok complex and Kankarbagh circle.

Patna: With the strike of the 25,000 municipal staff all over Bihar entering its third day on Wednesday, the entire state is stinking as heaps of garbage is scattered on all streets, roads and residential colonies.The daily wage workers of the municipal corporations and municipalities are agitated over state government’s decision to outsource the civic services.

The striking workers dumped carcasses of animals on busy market areas and headquarters of the civic bodies. At Patna, where 4500 workers are on strike, the employees dumped carcasses of cows, goats and dogs at Patna Municipal Corporation offices at Maurya Lok complex and Kankarbagh circle. According to reports received from Gaya, Darbhanga and Ara, the officers abstained from attending their respective offices due to the strike.

The workers had also dumped garbage at the official bungalows of the Urban Development Minister Suresh Sharma on Strand Road and Health Minister Mangal Pandey on Polo road.

Morning walkers at Shivaji park, S K Puri Park and Raj Banshinagar Park also avoided visiting parks due to the carcasses dumped inside them.Urban development Minister on Wednesday claimed the decision to scrap the services of daily wage workers was taken on the orders of the Lokayukta. He said the government would hand over the civic services to non-government agencies next month.

Patna Mayor, Seeta Sahu, met the minister and said the corporators were also in support of the demands of the striking workers. She said daily wage workers should be engaged as regular employees than handing over the services to the outsources agencies.

Chandra Prakash, president of the striking civic staff union said the government was denying its due to the workers who were engaged in civic services for the last 15 years.