Safai workers on long leave, Noida sectors are waste-deep in trouble

Noida: There is a stink rising over the city, lined with condominiums, malls and shopping complexes.
Over the last few days, waste has been piling up along the roadsides and greenbelts of several residential sectors in both Noida and Greater Noida due to irregular garbage collection by sanitation staffers. It is a sore sight for eyes and offensive to the nose, say residents.
In Sector 71, Noida, residents claimed waste had not been picked up from the sector for several days. "There are heaps of garbage in the area, and it is becoming increasingly unbearable," said Jagdeesh Yadav RWA president of the sector.
Sanjay Shukla, RWA general secretary of Shiv Shakti Apartments in Sector 71, said that the complex was overflowing with garbage on Tuesday. "The situation has worsened; the sanitation workers did not come, as they are often irregular," Shukla said, urging the public health department of Noida Authority to arrange for waste pickup before the issue escalated into a health hazard.
Harinder Bhati, a resident of Sector Beta 1 in Greater Noida, told TOI that waste had been piling up along the sector's roads. "What are the officers and contractors of the Greater Noida Authority health department doing? While our Prime Minister and CM promote the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, here in Greater Noida, it seems like a sham. There are piles of garbage in the city, towns, and villages," he said.
Residents also reported issues of sewage overflow in the sector.
According to Noida officials, waste piled up at residential sectors over the last two days as many sanitation staffers did not show up on Sunday, and then again on Monday, which was Ambedkar Jainti. "Today, strict instructions were given for garbage collection everywhere in Noida. The work also started. But even if any problem related to garbage collection arises in any sector or village, residents can inform on my personal WhatsApp number so that immediate action can be taken to resolve the problem," an official said.
Meanwhile, sanitation workers managed to clear the roads of waste by Tuesday afternoon. "Some areas may have been left due to unavailability of either the driver or the van, but that too is being looked into," the official added.
The situation was the same in Greater Noida on Tuesday, as well. RK Bharti, who was recently appointed as a GNIDA general manager, told TOI on the issue of waste not being picked up on Tuesday. "I have taken charge in GNIDA only about a week back, so I do not have much details. However, I have inspected areas like Sector Beta 1 and neighbouring areas following complaints from residents. We have addressed their concerns and will continue to look into the issues," Bharti said.
According to officials, there are around 2,000 contractual sanitation workers deployed across more than 50 residential sectors in Greater Noida. As per sources, Greater Noida generates about 350 tonnes of municipal waste per day.
Noida, in comparison, has 4,500 sanitation workers deployed across 168 sectors, including 179 households in plloted sectors as well as condominiums. The majority of these workers are contractual workers. There are around 4 lakh locations in Noida, including residential sectors and highrises, from where garbage is collected on a daily basis. The city generates 600 tonnes of municipal waste daily.
Meanwhile, in Greater Noida, residents also reported a fire breaking out on Tuesday at a vacant lot near Junpat village, close to Mu-2, where dry waste had been dumped.
"A fire broke out today in the waste piles dumped near Junpat village, along the 105-metre-wide road. This is an area where GNIDA has been dumping garbage for some time, leading to regular fires in the waste dump. Today, once again, a massive fire broke out, sending black smoke spreading quickly across the area. Due to this pollution, the residents of surrounding villages are facing significant difficulties in breathing. We urge authority officials to take necessary action," said Mohit Bhati, a resident of Junpat.
In Noida's Sector 105, residents also reported dirty water flowing through their taps on Tuesday morning.
"It's a very serious issue. We are experiencing health problems. Tenants have left the property because of water concerns. We are getting tank cleaning done every month. When we are paying all the bills on time, then why are we not given good quality water supply?" said Ekta, a resident.
Officials took cognisance of the issue and said that work of cutting and flushing the water pipeline was undertaken in the sector to improve the water supply. "We have undertaken the flushing of the water pipeline in the sector by cutting it. This will improve the supply quality," said Anil Verma, junior engineer of the water department.