Shimla 'beautification workers' raise stink

SHIMLA: Continuing with their strike, Shimla Environment, Heritage, Conservation and Beautification (SEHB) society workers have stopped garbage collection of around 35,000 houses for the past 12 days forcing annoyed residents to litter the trash anywhere, especially into nearby nullahs and forests.
This has worsened the condition of the city and scattered garbage is filling the city air with foul odour.Sources said that Shimla municipal corporation (SMC) is capable of cleaning main Shimla - Mall Road and the Ridge - while rest of the city is reeling under the pressure of garbage mess.
Most of the houses of the city do not have access to vehicles where only the door to door garbage collection system was successful and nowadays these wards are in most wretched condition as garbage can be seen scattered over the narrow paths and stairs due to which the stray dogs and monkeys are having a good time.
"Shimla city was never seen in such bad condition. Now, city's dumping recycling plant at Bhariyal is also not functioning due to the fire incident," said sources.
SEHB society chairman Rangeela Ram threatened to go on fast until death if the SMC doesn't agree to their demands. "SMC's alternative scheme of collecting garbage with a vehicle whistling is going flop as vehicles reach the wards at around 10 am when most residents are not available at home.
Around 18 of the total 25 wards remain uncovered as vehicles do not reach every doorstep, while we used to collect the garbage at 7 or 8 am that too from every doorstep," he added.
Shimla resident Nitin Chauhan said: "Everything is getting so inconvenient these days as nobody is coming to collect the trash. Being a tax payer, I do not expect this kind of inconvenience from the SMC, they should resolved the issue it with workers as it is getting difficult to survive."
Shimla deputy mayor Tikender Singh Panwar said the not-so-genuine demands of SEHB cannot be fulfilled in any situation. SMC has terminated the supervisors and drivers who had refused to work and some of the workers who went on strike have already resumed work so at some wards, the door-to-door collection scheme is working.
"But to maintain cleanliness in city we request our residents to co-operate for some time and reach the garbage bins and garbage collecting vehicles," he said.