Garbage collection at standstill

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JULY 5.

The entire garbage collection system in the Capital came to a standstill today as thousands of employees of MCD's Sanitation Department went on a lightening strike demanding the arrest of a Congress(I) Councillor, Mr. Radhey Shyam Sharma, for allegedly assaulting a senior official.

Tonnes of garbage lay strewn on the streets as the employees refused to work protesting the manhandling of Mr.. Ravi Dass, Director of the Conservancy and Sanitation Engineering Department, by Mr. Sharma inside his chamber on Wednesday. All efforts to resolve the deadlock failed as the staff was adamant on the demand of arresting the Councillor.

The intervention by the Delhi Mayor, Mr. Shanti Desai, and the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Ram Babu Sharma, and the subsequent apology by the Councillor failed to move the staff. On his part, the Municipal Commissioner, Mr. S.P. Aggarwal, warned that disciplinary action would be taken against those abstaining from duty in an illegal manner.

Although the overall impact of the strike was not felt much today, the situation is likely to deteriorate from tomorrow onwards with the non-lifting of garbage from dhaloas to landfill sites. Hundreds of trucks engaged in the garbage lifting operation stood parked at various points, including a large number at Ambedkar Stadium, where they are holding a dharna.

Officials said the entire team of 40,000 safai karamcharis; 1,100 truck drivers; 3,000 engineers; 1,200 sanitary inspectors and supervisors and 1,000 other officials continued to stick to their demand for Mr. Sharma's arrest and cancellation of his Councillorship.

The joint action committee formed by the striking employees said that they will not resume duties until their demands were met. ``We will soon start taking disciplinary action,'' said Mr. Aggarwal.

The Mayor said: ``We can not tolerate this type of attitude from the Sanitation Department. They have already lodged an FIR against the Councillor. Let the law take its own course. We are not intervening.''

In his FIR at the Chandani Chowk police station, Mr. Dass alleged that Mr. Sharma threw chappals on him, picked up the chair and physically hurt him. The case against Mr. Sharma has been registered under section 186 and 353 of Indian Penal Code. The police said an investigation was on. Though no arrest was made, Mr. Sharma was in the process of getting anticipatory bail.

With the sudden turn of events since Wednesday, the situation in the MCD has become tense and highly polarised between Councillors, cutting across party lines, and the officials. Meanwhile, Mr. Ravi Dass did not report for duty today and is unlikely to come unless a viable solution is found. ``Mr. Dass was not well, so he did not come today,'' Mr. Aggarwal said.

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