Doda, Nov 18 – An ongoing strike by Municipality Safaikaramcharis in Jammu and Kashmir has created a public health concerns, with streets and public spaces in multiple towns overflowing with garbage and waste for the past 10 days.
Workers from various municipal committees of Jammu region including Thathri, Bhaderwah, Doda, Ramban, and Kishtwar, have stopped work, demanding higher wages and permanent employment status. The indefinite strike has left roads and marketplaces clogged with waste and sewage, triggering concerns over potential disease outbreaks.
The deteriorating sanitary conditions pose a significant health risk, particularly to vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly, as unhygienic environments heighten the risk of disease transmission. Despite the gravity of the situation, no resolution has yet been achieved between the striking workers and the administration.
Ashfaq Majid, a youth activist from Thathri, called for immediate action to address the crisis. “Outsourcing workers to clear the market and streets may provide a temporary solution to protect public health, but the administration must also work toward a long-term plan to meet the municipality workers’ demands,” Majid told The Chenab Times.
Residents have expressed frustration at the lack of effective intervention. Authorities have yet to announce measures to mitigate the risks posed by mounting garbage or respond to the demands of the Safaikaramcharis.
The striking Safaikaramcharis are demanding regularization of their services with relaxation to the recently implemented recruitment rules for Class IV jobs, including Safai Karamcharis and Drivers. Among their key demands are the regularization of all eligible sanitation workers who have served temporarily for over seven years, cancellation of the New Pension Scheme (NPS) in favor of the reinstatement of the old pension scheme, resolution of pending cases under SRO 43, and the creation of additional posts for Safai Karamcharis in municipal councils and committees. They are also calling for the termination of contracts awarded to private contractors, advocating instead for a more inclusive and sustainable municipal employment structure.
Local and district authorities have been urged to take swift and decisive action to resolve the standoff, balancing the workers’ grievances with the urgent need to restore public hygiene.
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Raja Shakeel is a journalist associated with The Chenab Times. Read More.
