Speak up Delhi: Cleaners' strike raises stench in Capital

The recent strike by the sanitation workers of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) provides the latest example of a larger problem affecting the cleaners and sanitation workers across Delhi. Cleaners under different municipal corporations across the city seem to have been upset over a range of long-standing issues in the recent years.

While Thursday's strike by the NDMC cleaners was the first in more than 30 years in the posh Connaught Place area, similar strikes have been rather common from some other parts of the city. The East Delhi Municipal Corporation, for example, has witnessed few such strikes in the past few years that continued for days.

The littering of garbage on the streets of Delhi is not a new sight to its citizens. Over the years, most Delhiites have been compelled to pass through stinking streets and alleys with all kinds of wastes strewn around. However, with no significant signs of improvement in garbage-disposal appearing in the near future, such strikes by municipal corporation cleaners only add to the ever-growing menace.

One of the organisers of Thursday's strike, Ravinder Bharti, the President of New Delhi Nagarpalika Joint Action Committee, spoke to DNA about their demands. He said that apart from the demand of a salary hike, they also asked for financial security for the families of close to 600 of workers who had died in the past 20 years.

"Many of them died at work while cleaning gutters and sewers. Our cleaners cover an area of 16 km daily that include some high-profile areas such as Connaught Place, India Gate, the Rashtrapati Bhavan area, among others. It is sad that the NDMC has not paid heed to our pleas for so long even when we work so hard, sometimes even risking our lives, too," Bharti lamented.

He said that if their demands were not met within a month, they would not hesitate to go on another strike again. But a strike by the cleaners and sanitation workers in a business hub like Connaught Place does not augur well for the thousands of traders in the area.

As both the unions of the sanitation workers and the NDMC officials have decided to wait for a month to negotiate the demands, traders and visitors to the area are only hoping for a peaceful resolution of the issues without further strikes.

VOICES

The area surrounding my shop usually remains clean as there are several rounds of cleaning by the NDMC every day. This applies to all of Connaught Place actually.
—Mohammed Ajiz, cosmetics vendor, B Block

The entire area generally remains clean because, in addition to the cleaners from the NDMC, even the Traders' Association also has its own cleaners in a few blocks. But on the day of the strike, even I was not allowed by the protestors to do any cleaning.
—Sonu, a cleaner employed by the Traders' Association

The level of cleanliness in the area is somewhat satisfactory, but there is still work to be done. The government has provided a good number of cleaners and public dustbins in the area, but there are times when I see garbage littered here and there on the road.
—Pravesh Dubey, autorickshaw puller, Connaught Place

The demands by the NDMC cleaners are long pending and they have merit. I believe their grievances should be addressed immediately by the NDMC for the larger interest of the entire Connaught Place area.
—Narendra Kumar Tiwari, pan vendor, A Block

Many of our workers have died at work while cleaning gutters and sewers. Our cleaners daily cover an area of 16 kilometre that includes some high-profile areas like Connaught Place, India Gate, the Rashtrapati Bhavan area among others. It is sad that the NDMC has not heeded our pleas.
—Ravinder Bharti, President of New Delhi Nagarpalika Joint Action Committee

I keep visiting Connaught Place once or twice every week. A long strike by the cleaners would be a big trouble for the visitors as well as traders. I hope the ongoing issues get resolved soon.
—Jaya Mathur, a student

EXPERT SPEAK

We agree that the NDMC has been doing a good job in keeping the Connaught Place area clean. They have at least three rounds of cleaning at different times in the day. But this is a huge area where thousands of people throng every day. Therefore, there are certain limitations of the NDMC which ultimately leave a few spots here and there littered with garbage. We believe this can be resolved if the contract of cleaning is leased out to some private firm as the private sector is bound by certain obligations and is more efficient generally.
—Atul Bhargava, President, New Delhi Traders Association