Pune’s Waste Pickers Call Protest, Door Step Waste Collection To Be Affected
Pune, 3rd August 2021: It appears the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) administration may have been asked to consider a two month / one year temporary extension for their agreement with the cooperative. This would be a strategic move to stifle the waste-pickers agitation that can affect the entire city’s door-step waste collection system.
Waste pickers demands have been consistently ignored by the PMC for several years now. Taken for granted, this most marginalized section of the city continues to toil and ensure regular waste collection in the city in the face of continued apathy.
Demanding open discussions and concrete decision making to meet their demands expeditiously, waste-pickers have declared city-level protests commencing from 10 August 2021.
“It is shameful that the Pune Municipal Corporation continues to ignore the very waste-pickers who labour to collect waste from the door-steps of Pune’s citizens and keep our city clean. This flies in the face of Pune’s illustrious history of supporting workers and labour movements. Until their demands are met, I will stand and protest with the waste-pickers of Pune”, said senior labour leader Dr Baba Adhav.
