Delhi sanitation workers take 20-day-long protest to Arvind Kejriwal's residence, refuse to return to work until all demands are met

Demanding basic rights, job security and better working conditions, protesting East Delhi sanitation workers on Thursday took their agitation to Delhi chief minister's official residence, after their demands went unheard for the past 20 days.The Delhi Police strengthened the bandobast outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence as hundreds of workers gathered there. The protesters tried to breach the police barricade and enter the chief minister's residence. However, the police managed to hold them off with mild baton charging.

The contractual workers, who clean tonnes of muck and filth produced in the national capital everyday, have been protesting for basic needs such as timely payment of wages and arrears, regularisation of workers enrolled after 1998 so that they can avail facilities like pension and healthcare benefits, and issuance of cashless medical cards as these people run the risk of contracting work hazard-related ailments.The workers who have been on strike since 11 September, have refused to return to work until their demands are fulfilled by the corporation.Meanwhile, the Delhi government said that it was ready to urgently release Rs 500 crore to civic bodies to facilitate payment of dues to the sanitation workers. However, both the Delhi government and the cash-strapped East Delhi Municipal Corporation remain mum on the workers primary demand: regularisation of about 3,000 contractual workers who were enrolled after 1998.According to Hindustan Times, EDMC commissioner Ranbir Singh refused to regularise these workers citing that it will add a burden of about Rs 1,500 crore.Residents, meanwhile, have been facing the brunt of the mess strewn on the streets of the national capital. Interestingly, all this comes at a time when the Centre was celebrating the Swachhta Pakhwara which culminated on Tuesday, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. Angry residents even came up with a counter to the government's Swachhta hi seva campaign which was called 'Selfie with garbage'.The East Delhi residents have been asking the civic agency to make temporary arrangements to end the mess. While the areas like Laxmi Nagar have been most affected by the situation, other areas like Ghazipur and Preet Vihar are also seeing heaps of garbage on both sides of the road increasing every day, DNA  reported.EDMC generates about 2,600 tonnes of waste every day, of which around 1,800 to 2,000 tonnes are being regularly picked up from dhalaos, Hindustan Times reported. However, the municipal body couldn't make arrangements for picking up garbage from roads.