Umerkote: The sanitation workers of the Umerkote Municipality in Nabarangpur district have called off their 5-day-long strike today. The strike had been launched to press for demands such as salary hikes and other basic facilities.
Due to the strike, the entire city had plunged into unsanitary conditions, with garbage and waste piling up everywhere, creating an unhygienic and foul-smelling environment. Areas like the old bus stand were particularly affected, causing inconvenience to local residents and visitors. At a time when diseases like cholera are slowly spreading across Odisha, the situation had become a major public health concern.
Taking this seriously, Councillors Tapan Kumar Debnath, Muna Padhi, Chitta Ranjan Patra, and Executive Officer Alok Chandra Anugulia held a meeting with the sanitation workers at the municipal office. Around 50 male and female sanitation workers attended the meeting.
It was decided that on 23rd June, two representatives of the sanitation workers, along with some councillors and the Executive Officer, would visit Bhubaneswar to hold discussions with senior officials of the Housing and Urban Development Department regarding salary hikes for both skilled and unskilled sanitation staff.
The sanitation workers agreed to the proposal and immediately resumed work, starting with cleaning up the garbage at the old bus stand in the presence of the officials mentioned. Executive Officer Alok Chandra Anugulia confirmed that sanitation work across the city would return to normal from tomorrow.
It is worth noting that for the past five days, sanitation workers had stopped work demanding salary increases, timely payment, and provision of proper cleaning equipment. Their strike had led to accumulation of garbage and foul odour across the city, but with the withdrawal of the protest, citizens have expressed relief.