SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Feb 9: The Dhanbad Municipal Corporation (DMC) sanitation workers’ strike, which entered the second day on Thursday, has left coal city lanes and streets stinking.
Following the strike in the last 48 hours, huge piles of garbage and domestic waste are seen scattered on lanes, streets and market areas of coal city.
The DMC and district administration officials on Wednesday evening requested the striking sanitation workers to call off agitation but they refused.
Sanitation workers of DMC, most of them contractual, went on an indefinite strike on Wednesday demanding arresting of Jharkhand Mineral Area Development Authority (JMADA) 20 employees who had gheraoed Town Commissioner Satyendra Kumar in support of their demands on Tuesday evening.
DMC management filed FIR against 20 JMADA employees for assaultingTown Commissioner.
The town commissioner Satyendra Kumar is holding additional charge of JMADA managing director.
The JMADA is 107 years old autonomous civic body which caters water and sanitation need of colliery people. In twin districts of Dhanbad, and Bokaro.
The DMC headquarter runs in a rented building of Lubicircular Road based JMADA campus since 2009.
The JMADA employees have been staging dharna at their own office for the last three months, Since DMC Town Commissioner has also been given additional charge of JMADA managing director, on Tuesday workers gheraoed Satyendra Kumar for more than 6 hours in the office and squatted before his car when he tried to go out of office in the evening.
On Wednesday morning, DMC workers went on strike in protest of the Town Commissioner’s gherao.
Following the strike, the sanitation drive has been badly affected in all five circles of Dhanbad, Jharia, Sindri, Katras and Chhatabad of DMC. Even the commercial parks of DMC Birsa Munda Park and Golf Ground Park are closed for the last two days.
The DMC Town commissioner Satyendra Kumar told media persons that employees of DMC are sad and angry from Tuesday’s incident (his gherao by JMADA staff). Police have been given video footage of the incident for action.
However, affected coal city residents alleged that the strike is DMC management sponsored as sanitation workers have nothing to do agitation of JMADA employees.
“In annals of DMC so far employees have gone on strike only against the management, not in support of any officer,” said Anil Kumar, a resident of Hirapur Hatia.
Interestingly, Khichiri lunch is being provided to striking workers of DMC in office premises for the last two days. Earlier whenever employees had gone on strike, their entry into the office was banned.
