Jaipur: Even though the seven-day strike by sanitation workers has ended, garbage collection is yet to return to normal in several parts of Jaipur. With the monsoon setting in, heaps of uncollected waste lying along roadsides and outside residential colonies have become a growing concern, raising fears of foul smell, mosquito breeding and the spread of diseases.Residents of Nehru Nagar, Hathroi, Housing Board Shastri Nagar, Char Number Dispensary and Haripura said door-to-door waste collection remains irregular even days after the strike ended. In many localities, roadside garbage has also not been cleared. Rainwater has soaked the waste, creating unhygienic conditions and making it difficult for residents to move around.“We expected garbage collection to resume once the strike ended, but that has not happened. The waste has been lying outside for days and the rain has made the smell unbearable. It is becoming difficult to even step outside our homes,” said Reena Sharma, a resident of Nehru Nagar.In Hathroi, resident Suresh Meena said the delay in clearing garbage was becoming a public health concern. “When waste remains unattended during the monsoon, mosquitoes and flies multiply quickly. We are worried about children and elderly people falling ill. The civic body should restore regular collection without further delay,” he said.Anita Verma, a resident of Housing Board Shastri Nagar, said overflowing garbage bins and stray animals scattering waste across the streets had worsened the situation. “The situation gets worse every time it rains,” she said.Echoing similar concerns, Rakesh Yadav from Haripura said, “People are paying sanitation charges, yet garbage is lying outside for days. If this continues through the monsoon, the risk of disease will only increase.”Residents said timely garbage collection becomes even more important during the rainy season, when stagnant water and decomposing waste create favourable conditions for the spread of vector-borne and water-borne diseases. They urged the Jaipur Municipal Corporation to launch a special clean-up drive in the affected areas and restore regular waste collection at the earliest.
