Mangaluru (DHNS): Heaps of garbage continued to pile up in front of apartments, houses and hotels in wards across the city with the indefinite protest staged by pourakarmikas working on a contract basis stepped into the fifth day on Friday.

The Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC), in association with Antony Waste Handling Cell Private Limited (AWHCPL), the agency entrusted with the contract of handling garbage in Mangaluru, had made alternative arrangements for door-to-door waste collection in Mangaluru.

Yet, the garbage lying unattended has revealed that the alternative arrangement has failed to cover all households and bulk generators in 60 wards.

MCC commissioner Channabasappa said 80 vehicles had been pressed to service by AWHCPL to manage the garbage.

“We are mobilising labourers using services of permanent civic workers to collect waste and clear the huge heap of waste piling in markets,” he said and admitted that they have not been able to achieve 100 % collection of waste.

The agency has 120 vehicles for door-to-door waste collection. Over 870 sanitary workers are on strike.

Mayor Jayanand Anchan himself drove a tipper lorry hired for collecting waste to instill confidence among the hired workers. The mayor told DH, “The MCC is making an effort to clear garbage. I can drive a lorry, rickshaw and other vehicles. I just wanted to instil confidence by driving the truck for a few meters.”

The government has to take a decision on fulfilling the demands of civic workers who are working on a contract basis, he said.

With the UGD workers on a contract basis staging a protest, the maintenance of 22 wet wells and four STPs too is posing many problems.

In a few places, problems, like overflowing and choked drainage, were witnessed.

The M R Bhat Lane in Marnamikatte has been witnessing overflowing drainage from a manhole for the past four days causing many inconveniences to the residents.

Vagdevi, a resident of Hoigebail, said, “Those who reside in apartments are worst affected due to the piling up of wet waste for the past five days. We do not have space in the apartment to keep garbage. The apartment association has asked us to keep wet waste in our respective flats till the door-to-door waste collection services are restored. A foul smell emanating from the garbage has been causing many inconveniences.”

Some houses faced a peculiar problem with miscreants dumping waste inside their compound. Garbage kept outside the building was found scattered all over the place by stray dogs.