Civic services break down as garbage piles up in Silchar

From a correspondent

Silchar, July 24: The employees of Silchar Municipal Board are on a 7 day strike since July 20 protesting against non-fulfillment of their long-standing demands including implementation of pension, recruitment of staff on compassiote grounds and regularization of daily wage workers. Hundreds of Municipal employees have been staging a protest demonstration in the premises of SMB office for the past 5 days.

Speaking to the media, Paritosh Dey, one of the aggrieved employees, said that they have been demanding the regularization of the services for a very long time but the state administration has not taken any steps yet on the issue. The municipal workers have also not been paid their wages since the last 4 months. The aggrieved employees have also brought the matter to the notice of Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister, Assam who had assured them that their demands would be met as soon as possible.

 According to Poritosh Dey, if their demands are not met, the stalemate will continue and the citizens of towns will be the worst sufferers. He said that the state government has not taken any cognizance of their agitation launched from time to time. He recalled the intervention of Additiol Chief Secretary, M G V K Bhanu, on March 3, 2015 who assured the agitating civic body employees of discussion and solution of their demands.

 Moreover, assurances came from P K Barthakur, Chief Secretary, P K Talukdar, Deputy Secretary, Urban Development Authority, and P P Mazumdar, Deputy Secretary of Chief Minister’s Office, that on the basis of the Cabinet decision in regard to Provincialization Bill 2014, their demands would be considered. In the light of such assurances, “Our agitation across the state has been suspended,” said Paritosh Dey.

 But, despite all the talks and assurances, no positive response has come from the state government. Against this, it was conveyed to the authorities of the department concerned that if by July 16, their legitimate demands are not fulfilled, employees of the municipal boards will have no altertive than to go for week long agitation from July 20. Considering the hardships of the citizens, all the civic services excepting water supply and street lights will remain inoperative.

 It is an abomible sight to see garbages and wastes flushed out from residents in all the 28 wards of the town. At the disposal points along the busy roads and streets including lanes and by-lanes, people find it difficult to walk as on this 5th day of the strike, the garbages and wastes have started emitting foul smells. This is the scerio in the district towns of Hailakandi and Karimganj as well as the sub-divisiol headquarters of Lakhipur.