Garbage contractor's staff observes strike for minimum wages

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad, Feb 14:

The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has assigned the task of transporting the door-to-door collected garbage from the city to the processing plants to Hyderabad-based P Gopinath Reddy Company, four years ago. Meanwhile, the Kamgar Shakti Sanghatna (KSS) today stopped garbage lifting works since morning and went on strike to press their demand of releasing minimum wages to them as per the State Government policy. As a result, heaps of garbage were seen lying on different corners of the city.

A meeting to resolve the issue was held today afternoon at AMC headquarters. The additional commissioner B B Nemane presided over the meeting. MLC Ambadas Danve, Kamgar Shakti leader Gautam Kharat, Kishore Thorat, deputy commissioners Saurabh Joshi, Santosh Tengale and Santosh Wahule attended the meeting. The civic administration and Danve requested to withdraw their agitation to avoid inconvenience to the citizens as the Shiv Jayanti is around the corner. Later on, the agitation was decided to be withdrawn after the leaders were assured of organising a meeting with the municipal commissioner, in this regard, on February 21.

The deputy commissioner Joshi informed that the door-to-door collection of garbage will resume as usual from Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, the lifting of garbage got started in the city from today evening.

Role of administration?

The company has been awarded the contract of lifting one metric tone of garbage for Rs 1863. It is believed that the company has submitted the tender including payment of minimum wages and other expenses. The company workers do not have a direct connection with AMC's officers. The AMC is making payment to the contractor for lifting 450 metric tonnes of garbage daily. It may be noted that the daily generated garbage in the city is lifted by its 1171 staff through 350 ghanta gadis and 29 big compactors.

Following the strike, the garbage was lying scattered in front of the shops in commercial markets at City Chowk, Shahgunj, Gulmandi and other parts of the city.