Heaps of uncleared garbage raises stink across AP

Vijayawada: Streets in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Kurnool and other urban civic bodies in Andhra Pradesh have turned into dumping yards with garbage generated by households and commercial firms remaining uncleared by the sanitary workers for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday.

Residents are being exposed to various health risks with rain spells continuing across the State even as the AP Government is continuing talks with the representatives of the striking workers for an amicable settlement of their demands. Since Monday, over 35,000 sanitary workers-some of them outsourced and on contract payroll have gone on an indefinite strike demanding a monthly health allowance of Rs 6,000 and minimum monthly salary of Rs 21,000. Their demands also include regularisation in phases as and when vacancies arise.

"Our demands are genuine and pending for a long time. We have gone on strike after several representations submitted by us to the authorities fell on deaf ears," GVMC Municipal Workers and Employees' Federation honorary president P Venkat Reddy," told Bizz Buzz on Thursday.

More than 6,000 contract/outsourcing sanitary staff on strike. Only 2,300 regular sanitary staff working in Visakhapatnam-the largest industrial and commercial city in AP, which generates waste of around 1,000 to 1,100 tonne a day.

The regular staff can lift only 300 to 400 tonne a day. Rest is allowed to pile up on the streets or in the households' premises. Due to the strike, the civic bodies have stopped door-to-door pickup of garbage as well as the lifting of thrash bins put up in various corners of the city. Extra staff was deployed to manage garbage during 'Giri Pradarshana' at holy shrine of Simhachalam on the intervening night of July 12 and 13 when an estimated two to three lakh people went on foot to have darshan of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy, the presiding deity of the town.

AP Municipal Workers' Union Secretary A Ranganayakulu blamed the indifferent attitude of the authorities for the current impasse and demanded immediate resolution of their just demands.

The situation has turned worst in Tirupati, which attracts pilgrims from all corners of the country for darshan of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, with stink greeting them on arrival at various places. On an average, Tirupati generates 200 tonnes of garbage a day of which 60 per cent is wet waste. Many fear that with no let-up in rain situation, the heaps of garbage left uncleared might spread various infectious diseases through vectors.