Residents across all 70 wards of the Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) have endured severe hardship over the past five to six days as a strike by garbage vehicle operators and helpers, employed through the civic body's contracted sanitation agency, disrupted door-to-door waste collection services.
Garbage Pile-Up Worsens in Heat
With collection vehicles off the roads, garbage accumulated in residential colonies, markets, and roadside collection points, leading to complaints of foul smell, overflowing bins, scattered litter, and stray animals feeding on the waste. Residents expressed concerns that the situation has worsened in the heat, raising fears of unhygienic conditions and disease outbreaks.
Residents Share Ordeal
Naval Kishore Rathi of Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar reported that vehicles appeared only sporadically, leaving families uncertain about when waste would be collected. Ashok Dubey of Professor Colony said no vehicle had visited for four to five days, forcing residents to either store waste indoors or dump it in open spaces. Rupendra Singh Chouhan of VIP Estate noted he had not seen a collection vehicle for five days, and residents were increasingly worried about sanitation and illness. Ajay Bhatnagar of Devendra Nagar stated that routine services were completely disrupted for five days. Akram Khan of SBI Colony, Vallabh Nagar, described the stench as unbearable during daytime heat. Sanjeet Jain of Chaitanya Green, Mowa, mentioned that a vehicle arrived on Monday after a four-day gap, bringing temporary relief after the smell became intolerable.
Talks and Breakthrough
The disruption persisted despite talks on May 16 between municipal officials and representatives of the agency managing waste collection. An RMC officer disclosed that a breakthrough occurred after a meeting between Ramky Company management and representatives of the striking contractual workers, held in the presence of the district administration, police, labour department, the Raipur tehsildar's office, and the municipal corporation. The agency subsequently informed the RMC that a consensus had been reached, and workers agreed to resume duties from the morning of May 17.
Services Still Below Normal
Civic officials acknowledged that services remain far from normal. Of about 269 garbage collection vehicles deployed in the city, only around 100 were operational on Monday, with only a limited number of workers returning so far. The agency has assured the RMC it will hire additional manpower to restore full services.
Wage Demands and Alternative Arrangements
According to the RMC, drivers are paid a minimum monthly wage of Rs 12,000, and helpers up to Rs 10,000 under the unskilled labour category. Drivers are demanding Rs 22,000 per month and a Rs 25 lakh mediclaim cover. The agency has arranged alternative drivers to run about 100 vehicles, and officials expect operations to normalize within one to two days.
FIR Registered Against Drivers' Association
An RMC officer confirmed that an FIR has been registered against the drivers' association for allegedly threatening workers who resumed duties and obstructing garbage collection.
