Mangaluru struggles with garbage pile-up as workers’ protest intensifies

Team Udayavani, Mar 17, 2023, 4:25 PM IST

Mangaluru city has been reeling under a garbage crisis for the fourth consecutive day, with trash accumulating in apartments, houses, and public areas.

The officials of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) are struggling to find a solution to the problem caused by a strike by outsourced workers, who have been protesting since March 13.

According to M B Naganna, the president of the outsourced employees’ state association, more workers have joined the protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru. The workers have appealed to CM Bommai to immediately fulfil their main demands, for which the finance department has already given the green signal. However, the file still needs the CM’s signature. Naganna added that the protest will continue until their demands are met.

The MCC Commissioner, Channabasappa, expressed his concern over the lack of garbage collection due to the strike by outsourced workers. He said that on Thursday, they had to use 30 vehicles to collect garbage from hotels, commercial buildings, and areas where a huge pile of waste had accumulated. However, the MCC is not getting enough labourers due to the ongoing protest. As a result, they have decided to get civic workers and hired vehicles to help with garbage collection.

More than 50 workers of 22 wet wells and four STP units have stopped working. If the fecal and urine waste of underground drainage is not cleared in time, the whole network will get blocked, causing further problems for the city’s residents