Sanitation workers dump garbage in front of NAC office in Odisha

Sanitation workers in Daspalla town of Nayagarh district continued their protest on Monday demanding the payment of their pending salaries. Gathering outside the Notified Area Council (NAC) office, the workers agitated, voicing their grievances over the non-payment.

The workers had taken to a sit-in six days ago but their demand has not been heard. Irked by this, they dumped garbage in front of the civic body’s office and shouted slogans.

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Allegedly, wages have not been paid spanning nearly six months to several employees. In Daspalla, around 76 sanitation workers were previously deployed across 16 wards, yet some have not received their rightful earnings.

Adding to their plight, the workers highlighted the lack of essential equipment like brooms and gloves. Despite the protest entering its sixth day, the sanitation workers claim their concerns have not been addressed by the NAC authorities yet, prompting them to further intensify their demonstration in the days ahead.

“We have been working for the last year and a half, but have not yet got our salary for five months. For the first year, we were paid Rs 3,000-Rs 4,000 per month. Subsequently, it was stopped,” a woman sanitation worker Pinki Nayak said.

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“Even to the extent, we are not being provided with uniforms, ID cards, shoes, and gloves,” the agitating woman expressed.

However, NAC officials have refuted these allegations, asserting that all issues concerning the sanitation workers have been resolved.

“We have already resolved their demands. They had not given us any information before staging a protest,” Daspalla NAC executive officer Chandrasekhar Barik said.