The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) workers are likely to raise a stink during the ongoing IFFI. This seems to be an annual trend as the municipal workers do it every year threatening not to collect garbage generated by the festival and brining up their demands. The CCP Employees Union and the city corporation are almost always at loggerheads ahead of the festival, on the issue of regularisation of services and hike in allowances.
For the fourth year in row, IFFI will go the eco-friendly way, with CCP banning the use of plastic glasses, cups, bottles and carry bags at the festival venues. The event has kicked off but there is a wariness as workers have threatened to boycott work, including lifting garbage from the IFFI venues, if their demand for hike in medical allowances and regularisation of service is not met at the earliest.
“We have threatened not to lift the garbage if our demands are not met. CCP authorities have called for a meeting on Tuesday, which will decide our future course of action. Till then, our workers will continue to do their jobs, clean the city ensuring that people, visiting the IFFI venue, don’t have to inhale stink,,” union leader Ajit Singh Rane said.
With nearly 60,000 people expected to enter the State Capital daily during the festival period, CCP, already saddled with an overload of garbage, will have to ensure proper collection and segregation of the waste generated at the venues. On an average, the areas under CCP jurisdiction generate 25-30 tonnes of garbage daily. During IFFI, the garbage generation is expected rise by 5-7 tonnes per day.
“The workers have to fight for their rights. They are taken for granted by the Corporation. IFFI is the only big event where these workers are involved. If they don’t protest now, no one will take them seriously,” Rane said.
This is not the first IFFI, when CCP workers have threatened to boycott work. Last year, in July-August, the workers had resorted to a major strike leaving the entire city stinking for over a week. They had even threatened not to join duty during the event, which had forced CCP to bow down to their demands.
CCP authorities including Mayor Surendra Furtado refused to comment on the issue saying, “There is a meeting scheduled tomorrow (Tuesday), we will discuss their demands.”
A total of 30 sets – each set containing five bins (four black and one green) paper, plastic, glass and metal for non-recyclable material (black bins) and for wet waste collection (green) at different festival venues in the city.
