Sweepers' strike cause hygiene havoc in Jammu-Kashmir's Doda

A strike by sweepers working as daily wagers in the Municipal Committee of Jammu and Kashmir's Doda has caused hygiene havoc in the town with heaps of garbage getting accumulated on roads.

The sweepers are demanding regularisation of those who have completed seven years of service, wages as per Union Territory rates and release of pension for those who were regularised in 2014.

The sweepers have been on strike for the last five days now, and say they will not resume work till their demands are met.

Expressing his discontent, Shoket Hussain, a sweeper, said, "We have been demanding the same thing since 2014. Every government promised to meet the demands, but to no avail."

"We began our strike on December 28. We were promised so many things during the beginning of the pandemic, but sadly the situation has only worsened," he added.

The General Secretary of the Union, Mohd Ishaq said, "Our demand has been pending for years. The Union Home Minister, in a press conference here, said that the Minimum Wage act and the Safai Karamcharis Act has been implemented here, but the UT administration has not given us the benefit of the same."

Considering the resurge of COVID-19 cases, locals expressed concern about the situation and also extended support to the sweepers, while demanding that the Union Territory administration act on the situation as soon as possible.

Waseem Gattu, a local said, "Such protests are witnessed in the district every year. This year too, it has been five days since the roads were cleaned. This unhygienic condition is a treat for the COVID 19 infection. The condition is the same in 17 wards of the town."

"These people have been protesting every day. The UT administration assured them that the demands would be met but no action has been taken so far. A middle way should be found so that the sweepers can also lead a better life. It is the administration who should ensure cleanliness," he added.

Adding to it, Parveez, a local said, "The grime all around the town is an open invitation for infections, and with the Omicron variant of coronavirus active these days, the situation is even worse."

"The administration should solve it at the earliest. Merely asking the public to maintain cleanliness is not enough, the garbage situation in the town is what should be solved on priority," he added.

Extending support to the sweepers, Sharift, a local, said, "The government should think about sweepers so that the town is cleaned at the earliest and the many diseases it might bring be solved. The area is stinking."

( With inputs from ANI )

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