Tensions continue to rise within the Municipal Corporation (MC) in Mohali as the Punjab Safai Mazdoor Federation, led by its general secretary Pawan Godiyal, has announced an indefinite strike starting June 30, potentially bringing the city’s sanitation services to a grinding halt.
This decision emerged following a general body meeting of the federation, chaired by senior state leader Mohan Singh.
“Safai workers’ demands have been ignored for too long, and the ongoing exploitation by certain sanitary inspectors cannot be tolerated any further,” Godiyal stated.
The move comes just days after a heated meeting in the MC, during which Commissioner Parminder Pal Singh was allegedly threatened by Godiyal and union leader Gagandeep Singh Dhillon from Jalandhar. The incident occurred after Sanitary Inspector Harminder Singh while inspecting records, discovered that Godiyal was marked present despite being absent. Following Godyal’s alleged threatening, a sit-in was observed outside the office in support of the Commissioner on Thursday.
During the federation’s latest meeting, leaders accused several sanitary inspectors of flouting promotion rules and misusing their positions for personal gain. “The MC has become a hub of corruption,” said one leader, claiming that inspectors have been stationed in Mohali for over 10–15 years in violation of the state personnel transfer policy.
The federation is demanding a probe into the assets of these long-serving sanitary inspectors and their immediate transfer out of Mohali.
