GAURESH SATTARKAR
reporters@herald-goa.com
SANGUEM: This may sound strange, but the garbage scenario in Sanguem reveals a different story altogether. The ground reality is that town residents have now been compelled to perform the duties of ‘garbage collectors’.
The reason is that the garbage collectors employed by the Sanguem Municipal Council (SMC) on a contract basis have stopped the door to door collection of waste and they lamented that the contractor has not paid their salaries for the last four months.
SMC councillors allege that the Sanguem municipality has not paid the contractor for one year and this has compelled the town’s residents to empty their waste into the municipal council truck on a daily basis.
SMC chairperson Archana Gaonkar when questioned about the garbage collectors’ strike from Friday said that the workers are playing mischief.
“It has happened only for a day. We will get new labourers to do the job,” she said. When asked if striking work due to non-payment of salary for four months was mischief, she said, “We have told them we will clear the payments. Due to some error in the contractor’s bill, it is stuck at the Directorate of Municipal Administration in Panjim.”
Councillor Meshu D’Costa said, “People have to bring and dump the garbage in the truck since the labourers have all gone on strike. I heard the chairperson saying, the labourers are playing mischief. I can tell you we have committed labourers. The contractor is good. But their payment has been held up for one year and the chairperson has to follow up. If there is no payment to the contractor for one year and labourers are not paid for 6 months, why will the labourers collect the garbage?”
“I have brought my garbage on a scooter to dump in the municipality truck because the labourers are on strike. Definitely it is suffering for us and there are so many people who are suffering. The labourers used to come daily to collect garbage. Now we have to do this work. The municipality is charging us garbage tax, they should deduct the garbage fees,” one resident of Sanguem told O Heraldo.
Asked about his suggestion to the municipality, he said they should clear the bills of the contractor and the labourers should be paid immediately so that the people do not suffer.