Garbage piles up in civic bodies

• Strike of outsourced sanitation workers enters third day 
• Workers demanding the govt to scrap GO 279 

Tirupati: Tonnes of garbage in the civic bodies across the district has piling up for the last three days with outsourced sanitation workers going on strike, demanding the state government to scrap GO 279. 

On Saturday also, sanitation workers have staged protests in front of their respective municipal offices. 

The civic chiefs have hired temporary workers to clear the garbage heaps under the limits of six municipalities and two corporations. 

But, the temporary staff are far more less compared to outsourcing workers. 

As a result, lifting of the garbage is being delayed. Strike has adversely affected the sanitation on roads and public places. 

In Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT), out of 700 workers, except 135, remaining were hired on contract basis. 

MCT Commissioner V Vijay Rama Raju has been monitoring the clearance of garbage. Only two compactors and 13 private tractors are being used in lifting the municipal waste. 

According to MCT officials, temple city generates 219 tonnes of garbage every day. In Nagari, Puttur and Palamaner municipalities, civic officials are trying to clear the waste with the available staff. 

In Punganur municipality, Commissioner KL Varma has engaged 75 temporary workers for clearing the garbage. 

District Collector PS Pradyumna held a video conference with all the municipal commissioners on Saturday evening and instructed them to keep the enough temporary staff to clear the garbage for maintenance of the sanitation.