With the Punjab Assembly elections now almost a year away, while the Aam Aadmi Party government is showing urgency in some matters, it is proving completely ineffective in improving the deteriorating image of the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation. There is deep public anger in this large city regarding the corporation’s functioning, which is directly impacting the ruling party’s image. It’s worth noting that the Municipal Corporation is currently spending crores of rupees on cleanliness, greenery, and beautification, yet the frequent strikes within the corporation expose the entire system. Today, union leaders belonging to the Bantu Group announced a strike and staged a strong protest in front of the Mayor-Commissioner’s office.
In the morning, corporation drivers arrived at the main gate with their garbage-laden vehicles and completely blocked it. As a result, the Mayor and Commissioner, along with several other officials, were unable to access the office. During the protest, which lasted for nearly two hours, union leaders vehemently criticized the government and the municipal administration. Later, the striking employees reached Shri Ram Chowk, where they blocked traffic and raised slogans. Due to the strike, garbage piled up at various locations across the city, and garbage collection was virtually halted. The strike ended in the afternoon, but most employees did not return to the office, disrupting work throughout the day.
Bantu Sabharwal, Shammi Luther, Rajan Kalyan, Manish Baba, Vinod Gill, Vikram Kalyan, Hitesh Nahar, Nitish Nahar, Sikandar Khosla, Sonu Supervisor, Vipan Sabharwal, Mandeep Meetu, Ashok Valmiki, Sunil Dutt Bobby, Hardev Nahar, Somnath Thapar, Gaurav Beni, Happy Thapar, Rahul Thapar, Ricky Sabharwal, Sunny Khosla, Amit Gill, and Anoop Thapar were present at the protest.
It is noteworthy that both municipal unions have been continuously opposing the ₹143 crore tender issued by the Punjab government for solid waste management in Jalandhar. Union leaders allege that this tender is against the interests of the workers and will not be implemented under any circumstances. The union’s demands include the immediate recruitment of 1,196 sanitation workers, the immediate repatriation of retired officers hired under the Smart City project, the permanent appointment of gardeners and peons, the regularization of computer operators with more than 10 years of service, the end of exploitation by some new councilors of the Cantonment constituency by employing temporary workers, and ensuring regular payments. The union alleges that some councilors have been employing temporary workers for the past year, but they are not being paid. The ongoing strikes are not only affecting the city’s sanitation system but also raising serious questions about the image of both the corporation and the government.
