Noida: Nearly 200 sanitation workers, under the banner of Akhil Bhartiya Safai Mazdoor Congress, staged a strike outside Noida Authority office in Sector 94 on Thursday morning, to protest against the merger of the health department with the civil department. Workers said they were being forced to take on civil works in addition to sweeping and cleaning, alleging that refusals had led to sackings and salary cuts. On Thursday, garbage and dry leaves remained uncollected in several sectors during the day, including sectors 18, 91, 92 and 96. Heaps of garbage were seen near DLF Mall of India, while dry leaves piled up near The Great India Place Mall.Ravi Kumar Tank, a sanitation worker from Sector 101, said he has been on the job for 10 years and works from 7am to 3pm, covering Sector 128 and the Asgharpur area. “Earlier, our work was limited to cleaning roads and drains. But last month, after the Authority merged the health and civil departments, sanitation workers were given civil duties too,” he said. “Now we are asked to handle construction and demolition waste and even work on central verges and pathways. We earn Rs 18,400 a month. If our salary hasn’t increased, why should we be made to do extra work?”Sachin, a resident of Gadhi Chaukhandi village who works in Sector 65, said sanitation workers earlier swept roads, collected garbage and loaded it onto tractors. “Now we are being assigned civil works as well,” he said.The strike comes after Noida Authority CEO Krishna Karunesh on Monday removed four sanitation workers and two supervisors, and withheld salaries of some staffers over poor upkeep. The protestors alleged that the Authority sacked them for refusing to carry out civil works in their areas. They also shared WhatsApp messages from officials warning of strict action and salary cuts if they joined the strike or stayed away from duty. The workers are also demanding medical insurance for themselves and their families.Noida Authority general manager SP Singh said the CEO had approved medical insurance for around 4,800 outsourced sanitation workers through SBI General Insurance. “Each worker and up to five dependent family members will get medical cover of up to Rs 5 lakh annually. The Authority will pay a premium of Rs 10,000 per worker through the outsourcing agency,” he said, adding that talks were under way to resolve the workers’ concerns.
