Coimbatore residents slam CCMC over delayed garbage collection after Pongal holidays

COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) has been caught napping as a majority of sanitation workers are yet to report for work after the Pongal holidays. As a result, garbage collection and disposal work have been severely affected. With door-to-door garbage collection also affected, residents slammed the civic body for not making alternative arrangements during the holidays.

The CCMC engages more than 3,000 sanitary workers in door-to-door collection in 100 wards of the city, but a majority of them did not report for work on Thursday after the festival holidays. Due to this, garbage has not been collected and waste has piled up on the roads in several localities, including Kavundampalayam, Vadavalli, Ramanathapuram and Kuniyamuthur.

Many residents said the problem is a recurring issue during festival seasons. “This happens every year. It’s not just about the holidays; it’s the lack of preparedness by the CCMC,” said K Ramesh, a resident of Kavundampalayam. “We are paying taxes which includes dedicated charges for garbage collection and disposal services. But garbage collection is often neglected. It’s unbearable to live near these garbage dumps.