COIMBATORE: Garbage continued to pile up in several parts of Coimbatore as an indefinite strike of the contract sanitation workers of the city corporation entered the second day on Tuesday, even as the civic body intensified post-Diwali cleaning operations with additional manpower and night shifts.Around 8,000 contract workers are employed by the corporation. They are demanding permanent employment and an increase in their daily wages from Rs 681 to at least Rs 798, in line with the revised wages announced by the district collector.More than 100 workers held a sit-in outside the corporation’s main office on Tuesday. In a novel protest, they held pumpkins, alleging that officials were attempting to conceal the issues instead of addressing their demands.N Panneerselvam, coordinator of the Coimbatore Sanitary Workers Labour Union Federation, alleged that the employer’s provident fund contribution was being deducted from workers’ salaries. He said, “In addition to this, Rs 1,200 was deducted towards Pongal bonus but was never returned to them. The corporation should make immediate payment of the revised wages, which they had assured in writing.”Talks with corporation commissioner Katta Ravi Teja on Tuesday evening failed, after officials reportedly informed the workers that revised wages would be implemented only in January. Union representatives walked out of the meeting and said the strike would continue.Meanwhile, residents complained that several interior roads in Kavundampalayam, Sivananda Colony, Rathinapuri, Ganapathy, Sowripalayam, Kuniyamuthur and Ukkadam remained uncleared despite overnight sanitation drives.“Only main roads were cleared, while garbage in interior streets remained untouched. Fresh waste mixed with firecracker debris has started rotting, creating a foul stench and making commuting difficult, particularly for children and senior citizens,” said T Aruldas, a Rathinapuri resident.Corporation officials said 857 tonnes of garbage, including 106 tonnes of firecracker waste, had been removed. Around 1,862 sanitation workers and 371 vehicles were deployed for the clearance drive. Permanent workers were also engaged in three shifts to tackle the additional workload.The corporation said cleaning operations would continue to remove accumulated waste and prevent it from obstructing stormwater drains.
