Sanitation workers' strike continues in Madhya Pradesh: Waste disposal crisis ahead of Diwali

Due to an indefinite strike by sanitation workers ahead of the Diwali festival in Madhya Pradesh, a serious waste disposal problem has arisen across the state. According to an India Today report, approximately 2.5 lakh sanitation workers in various cities of the state have stayed away from work, causing disruption in waste collection and disposal operations. The employees are primarily demanding the regularisation of their jobs and the complete abolition of the outsourcing practice. According to an NDTV India report, these employees are also demanding a wage of 25,000 rupees.

In Bhopal, the state capital, 850 tonnes of waste is generated daily. More than 400 vehicles are used here for door-to-door waste collection, with each vehicle making two to three trips a day. This waste is collected at 17 waste stations in the city and transported to Adampur Chhawani via capsule tankers. Due to the strike, this entire process has been stalled for the last two days. The situation is so serious that in view of the Diwali festival, traders in many markets have had to hire private workers to clean their shops and premises.

Magan Zanzote, President of the Madhya Pradesh Akhil Bharatiya Safai Mazdoor Congress, told PTI that the negotiations held on Wednesday with Sanjay Dubey, Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Administration Department, failed without any result. Magan Zanzote made it clear that the strike will continue until their demands are met. Now the union will meet Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to break this deadlock. Attempts were made to contact Sanket Bhondve, Commissioner of the Urban Administration and Housing Development Department, and Bhopal Municipal Commissioner Ramprakash Ahirwar on this matter, but no response could be received from them.

This strike by sanitation workers in Madhya Pradesh is having a direct impact on the functioning of the state's civic bodies. The employees say that they are being exploited due to the outsourcing system and have been waiting for permanent employment for a long time. The disruption of the sanitation system during a major festival like Diwali has increased the difficulties for common citizens. Everyone's eyes are on the talks between the government and the employee unions in the coming days, as the prolongation of the strike could make it more difficult to maintain cleanliness in the cities.

Madhya Pradesh is a major state in India, known for its administrative structure and civic amenities. In various cities of the state, the system of sanitation and waste disposal was managed by municipal corporations, where most of the employees were employed through outsourcing agencies.