Workers’ strike enters 6th day, leaves city with garbage pile

Raipur: Residents in all 70 wards of the Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) have reported severe hardship over the past five to six days as a strike by garbage vehicle operators and helpers engaged through the civic body’s contracted sanitation agency disrupted door-to-door waste collection.

With collection vehicles off the roads, garbage piled up in residential colonies, markets and roadside collection points, triggering complaints of foul smell, overflowing bins, scattered litter and stray animals feeding on the waste. Residents said the situation worsened in the heat, raising fears of unhygienic conditions and disease.

Naval Kishore Rathi of Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar said vehicles appeared only sporadically, leaving families uncertain about when waste would be lifted. Ashok Dubey of Professor Colony said no vehicle had visited for four to five days, forcing residents to either store waste indoors or dump it in open spaces. Rupendra Singh Chouhan of VIP Estate said he had not seen a collection vehicle for five days and residents were increasingly worried about sanitation and illness. Ajay Bhatnagar of Devendra Nagar said routine services were completely disrupted for five days. Akram Khan of SBI Colony, Vallabh Nagar, said the stench became unbearable during daytime heat. Sanjeet Jain of Chaitanya Green, Mowa, said a vehicle arrived on Monday after a four-day gap, bringing temporary relief after the smell became intolerable.

The disruption continued despite talks on May 16 between municipal officials and representatives of the agency managing waste collection. An RMC officer said a breakthrough came later after a meeting between Ramky Company management and representatives of the striking contractual workers, held in the presence of the district administration, police, labour department, the Raipur tehsildar’s office and the municipal corporation. The agency subsequently informed the RMC that a consensus had been reached and workers agreed to resume duties from the morning of May 17.

Civic officials, however, acknowledged that services remain far from normal. Of about 269 garbage collection vehicles deployed in the city, only around 100 were operational on Monday, with only a limited number of workers returning so far. The agency has assured the RMC it will hire additional manpower to restore services.

According to the RMC, drivers are paid a minimum monthly wage of Rs 12,000 and helpers up to Rs 10,000 under the unskilled labour category. Drivers are demanding Rs 22,000 per month and a Rs 25 lakh mediclaim cover. The agency has arranged alternative drivers to run about 100 vehicles, and officials said they expect operations to normalize within one to two days.

An RMC officer said an FIR has been registered against the drivers’ association for allegedly threatening workers who resumed duties and obstructing garbage collection.Raipur: Residents across Raipur have spent the past several days navigating mounting garbage and worsening hygiene conditions as a sanitation strike disrupted door-to-door waste collection services in all 70 wards of the Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC).

With collection vehicles off the roads, garbage piled up in residential colonies, markets and roadside collection points, triggering complaints of foul smell, overflowing bins, scattered litter and stray animals feeding on the waste. Residents said the situation worsened in the heat, raising fears of unhygienic conditions and disease.

Naval Kishore Rathi of Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar said vehicles appeared only sporadically, leaving families uncertain about when waste would be lifted. Ashok Dubey of Professor Colony said no vehicle had visited for four to five days, forcing residents to either store waste indoors or dump it in open spaces. Rupendra Singh Chouhan of VIP Estate said he had not seen a collection vehicle for five days and residents were increasingly worried about sanitation and illness. Ajay Bhatnagar of Devendra Nagar said routine services were completely disrupted for five days. Akram Khan of SBI Colony, Vallabh Nagar, said the stench became unbearable during daytime heat. Sanjeet Jain of Chaitanya Green, Mowa, said a vehicle arrived on Monday after a four-day gap, bringing temporary relief after the smell became intolerable.

The disruption continued despite talks on May 16 between municipal officials and representatives of the agency managing waste collection. An RMC officer said a breakthrough came later after a meeting between Ramky Company management and representatives of the striking contractual workers, held in the presence of the district administration, police, labour department, the Raipur tehsildar’s office and the municipal corporation. The agency subsequently informed the RMC that a consensus had been reached and workers agreed to resume duties from the morning of May 17.

Civic officials, however, acknowledged that services remain far from normal. Of about 269 garbage collection vehicles deployed in the city, only around 100 were operational on Monday, with only a limited number of workers returning so far. The agency has assured the RMC it will hire additional manpower to restore services.

According to the RMC, drivers are paid a minimum monthly wage of Rs 12,000 and helpers up to Rs 10,000 under the unskilled labour category. Drivers are demanding Rs 22,000 per month and a Rs 25 lakh mediclaim cover. The agency has arranged alternative drivers to run about 100 vehicles, and officials said they expect operations to normalize within one to two days.

An RMC officer said an FIR has been registered against the drivers’ association for allegedly threatening workers who resumed duties and obstructing garbage collection.