A2Z contract: Valmiki Samaj stages protest

More than 1,000 safai karamcharis from Valmiki Samaj Bachao Andolan (VSBA) staged protest at Bharat Nagar Chowk on Wednesday and disrupted traffic for more than two hours. They were protesting against A2Z garbage collection company and the Municipal Corporation's decision to allow the private company to collect garbage door-to-door in the entire city.

The protest comes despite the Municipal Corporation offered the valmiki karamcharis a job with Rs 6,000 per month salary along with provident fund, but with no positive response.

Surinder Kalyan, chief of VSBA, told Ludhiana Newsline: "We are not against A2Z collecting garbage from dumps but we will not allow it to snatch our only source of livelihood by collecting garbage door-to-door."

The representatives of the union also met Ludhiana Police Commissioner Ishwar Singh, who assured them that a 'solution to the problem will be taken within a week in coordination with the MC'.

MC health officers Dr Charanjit Uppal and Dr Vipal Malhotra also met the karamcharis and assured them of a solution within a week.

Private company A2Z presently collects garbage door-to-door from 12 wards.

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