Daijiworld Media Network - Bhopal
Bhopal, Nov 7: Residents of Bhopal can heave a sigh of relief after sanitation workers employed by urban local bodies across Madhya Pradesh reportedly called off their indefinite strike on Friday night following discussions with Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav. The agitation had brought garbage collection to a standstill, leaving the state capital struggling with heaps of uncollected waste ahead of Diwali.
The strike, which began on November 4, was called off after a meeting between representatives of the sanitation workers and the chief minister. The breakthrough came following the intervention of Minister of State Krishna Gaur, a two-time BJP MLA.
Soon after the strike was withdrawn, officials of the Bhopal district administration, led by District Collector Priyank Mishra, joined sanitation workers in a massive cleaning drive. The clearance operation began at Number 10 Market, where garbage had accumulated during the days of the protest.
The city had witnessed a worsening sanitation crisis during the Diwali festivities. More than 2,500 tonnes of garbage reportedly remained uncollected over three days, with overflowing bins and roadside waste heaps creating an unhygienic environment across residential neighbourhoods and busy commercial areas.
On Dhanteras, when residents were out shopping ahead of Diwali, garbage piles were visible even in prominent localities such as Char Imli, which houses ministers and senior IAS and IPS officers, and areas surrounding the Mantralaya and Vallabh Bhavan. Waste had also accumulated near Hanuman and Sai temples in Char Imli and along Atal Path, which had hosted a BJP rally just two days earlier.
On Kolar Road, garbage remained piled up for three days along the central verge of the six-lane road. Residents of Budhwara market also reported animal carcasses lying on the streets. At a busy intersection in Awadhpuri, stray dogs and cattle were seen rummaging through discarded plastic bags, while pedestrians and two-wheeler riders struggled to move through roads covered with waste.
According to local media reports, Bhopal generates around 800 to 850 tonnes of garbage every day. More than 400 waste collection vehicles, which normally make two to three trips daily to the city's 17 garbage transfer stations, remained idle during the strike. With no collection taking place and bins overflowing, some residents reportedly resorted to burning rubbish, adding to air pollution. The municipal corporation had not made adequate alternative arrangements during the agitation.
The protest widened on Friday when workers also reportedly stopped supplying water through tankers, affecting several localities, particularly poorer settlements. Officials, however, maintained that there had been no major disruption to water supply through the city's 2.30 lakh tap connections, as valves had been opened in several areas.
The sanitation workers were demanding an increase in monthly wages, compassionate appointments for eligible family members, regularisation of employment and an end to the contract system. Their principal demand was to raise the monthly wage from Rs 10,500 to Rs 25,000.
Vasi Sultan, state secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Safai Mazdoor Trade Union, said around 7,000 municipal corporation workers employed on a 25-day wage basis were finding it difficult to manage their households with a monthly income of Rs 10,500.
Union state president Maganlal Jhanjhot said the agitation was not confined to sanitation workers. Computer operators, clerks and employees from the water supply, fire services, building permission, encroachment, electrical, mechanical, horticulture and planning departments had also joined the protest. He had earlier warned that the agitation could turn into a "fight to the finish".
The protesting employees claimed that more than one lakh workers were participating in the agitation across Madhya Pradesh. Municipal sources estimated that around 6,000 employees from departments other than sanitation had joined the strike in Bhopal.
The agitation initially began with a sit-in at Shahjahan Park on November 3. The workers said no senior official had come forward to receive their memorandum, following which they blocked traffic at Jahangirabad Square. Subsequent discussions with Sanjay Dubey, the state's Additional Chief Secretary for Urban Development and Housing, reportedly failed to resolve the dispute. Garbage collection was completely disrupted from November 4 until the strike was withdrawn.
The impact of the agitation was also felt in several other towns across Madhya Pradesh. In Shivpuri, around 350 employees of the municipal council remained on strike, resulting in garbage accumulation in market areas.
In Sironj town of Vidisha district, BJP MLA Umakant Sharma took up a broom and personally swept streets for nearly two hours on Wednesday night and again on Thursday in an effort to address the sanitation crisis.
In Khilchipur town of Rajgarh district, tailor Dinesh Kumar Namdev, popularly known as Pappu, closed his shop on Thursday and spent around 90 minutes clearing garbage from Subhash Chowk to Sarafa Bazaar using a broom and handcart. He later dumped the collected waste outside the town.
With the strike now called off, the immediate priority for civic authorities is to clear the accumulated garbage, restore regular waste collection and prevent further deterioration of sanitation conditions across the state's urban centres.