AAP MLAs hit the streets to clear garbage mess

Sanitation workers for their part maintained they will continue with their protest until their 'just' demands were met

Delhi Ministers, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs and hundreds of party workers hit the streets on Sunday to clear the garbage dumps in several areas of the capital as the strike by more than 60,000 sanitation workers from the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled municipal bodies, entered the fifth day. The workers are demanding payment of their dues.

The sanitation workers on their part maintained they will continue with their protest until their ‘just’ demands were met. They warned that the situation in the city may ‘deteriorate’ after the government engaged PWD teams in the cleanliness drive.

AAP legislators and workers joined the PWD taskforce, which has been pressed into action yesterday to shift garbage to landfill sites, particularly in East and North Delhi where the strike has had maximum impact.

Also, more than 2,000 Delhi Jal Board workers teamed up with PWD workers for the cleanliness drive. PWD Minister Satyender Jain held a meeting with North and East MCD commissioners at his residence.

Delhi Cheif Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in Bengaluru for naturopathy treatment, lauded the PWD staff for working through the night to clear garbage and urged AAP functionaries to help the department personnel.

“I am told PWD people and trucks worked whole nite to clean up garbage. I would urge all AAP volunteers to help PWD,” he tweeted, urging them to ‘keep it up’.

Hospitals run by the civic bodies were also hit hard as around 7,000 doctors and 12,000 nurses joined the strike yesterday seeking payment of their dues. The nearly 12,000 strong engineering staff of the civic bodies has also struck work since yesterday.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who took part in cleanliness drive in his Patparganj constituency, alleged a ‘salary scam’ in the corporations. He said the government is looking for a “permanent solution” to the problem.

Besides Sisodia, Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra, PWD Minister Satyendra Jain and Assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel participated joined in the cleanliness drive in their respective constituencies.