Tonnes of garbage pile up in Ghaziabad as workers strike

Ghaziabad, March 17 (IANS) Over 1,700 tonnes of garbage piled up across Ghaziabad on Tuesday as sanitation workers continued their strike for the second day protesting alleged apathy by officials towards their problems.

Sanitation workers of the municipal corporation refused to pick up the garbage in the absence of a dumping ground in Ghaziabad.

The workers' leaders said municipal officials were notified that in the absence of a dumping ground, the staff had no place to dump the garbage. But the officers ignored them, and so the sanitation workers decided to go on strike.

Acknowledging the problem, Municipal Commissioner Abdul Samad said: "Of course, we have a problem of dumping ground, but we have to lift and dispose off the garbage at every cost."

"They demanded a proper place to dump. But the city has limitations and is facing a land crunch. The workers should not bother about that... the top officers of the city administration are concerned about it and working to solve the problem."

Environmental activist Akash Vashishtha said the municipality was dumping waste wherever it finds a vacant place.

"Over a month ago, they found a vacant stretch of land alongside the railway track and started dumping garbage there. The municipal corporation is playing havoc with people's health."

Councillor Rajendra Tyagi said a nexus of builders and the authorities was the main hurdle in setting up a dumping ground in the fast-growing city whose population has risen to over 30 lakh.

Officials said a dumping ground was to be created in Dundahera and the Hindon air force station also gave a no objection certificate. But a realty firm obtained a stay order from the Supreme Court.