Noida: Piles of rotting household waste, plastic and dry leaves have started to accumulate along roadsides across more than a dozen sectors of the city, as a strike by sanitation workers stretched into its third day on Thursday.The strike, called by contract workers demanding higher wages and permanent employment contracts, began on Sept 15. Since then, sectors including 12, 122, 35, 40, 100, 56, 82, 22 and 25 have seen sweeping and collection services come to a halt, with garbage accumulating faster than anyone can clear it.In Sector 12, the city’s largest residential pocket with over 35,000 residents and 3,500 homes, the situation has turned dire. “No sanitation worker has visited the area since Wednesday, and we have received no communication from the Noida Authority as well,” said Tarsem Chand, president of the sector’s residents’ welfare association (RWA), adding that sludge dredged from drains has now been left dumped onto footpaths, compounding the mess.Residents also sought accountability. “If sanitation staff aren’t reporting to work, it is the agency’s responsibility to ensure that garbage is still lifted from residential sectors, because we are still being charged per day. They go on strike 3-4 times a year, and we have to suffer for no fault of ours,” said Pawan Yadav, a resident of Century Apartments in Sector 100, who questioned why the Authority’s public health wing faces no penalties for such lapses, particularly with the Swachhata Pakhwada — a nationwide fortnight-long campaign under Swachh Bharat Mission to focus on waste segregation, recycling and responsible disposal — approaching.In Sector 122, residents say garbage is scattered everywhere. “There is no regular sweeping. When roads are swept, the collected waste is often left along the road, leading to a continuous accumulation of filth. Complaints and notifications have been repeatedly submitted to Noida Authority officials, yet no effective action has been taken so far,” RWA president of the sector Shiv Kumar Tiwari said.At Swarnim Vihar Duplex in Sector 82, residents have expressed concern about unhygienic conditions, foul odours and mosquito breeding. RWA general secretary Lata Verma demanded emergency fogging and waste lifting arrangements.Similar complaints poured in from across the city. SK Sharma said sanitation workers did not visit Sector 56 for two days, while RN Upadhyay described a total absence of waste pickup in Sector 82. Mohinder Singh, RWA general secretary of Sector 40, said the managing agency was struggling to handle even basic responsibilities, and Pradeep Vohra, RWA of Sector 22, said cleaning work had stopped.A sanitation worker, who did not wish to be identified, said the strike was rooted in anger over the contract system itself, under which contractors charge the Authority a 2.5% commission. “The workers are agitating for direct employment by the Noida Authority and for permanent job status,” he said.Noida Authority officials said they were in talks with the workers and the matter would be resolved soon.This is the second time that sanitation workers have gone on a strike this year. In March, nearly 200 sanitation workers went on strike and staged a protest outside the Noida Authority office in Sector 94 after they were assigned civil duties in addition to sweeping and cleaning. Workers had claimed that their monthly salary remained unchanged despite the additional workload.Subsequently, the Authority announced medical insurance for around 4,800 outsourced sanitation workers, with coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh annually for each worker and five dependents.
