Gurgaon: Hearing a plea that contended the right to a clean environment is a fundamental right, the Punjab and Haryana high court last week directed MCG to remove garbage strewn across the city amidst an ongoing strike by hundreds of sanitation staff.The petition, filed by Sector 22 resident Pankaj Yadav on November 8, argued that mounds of garbage have been littered in several parts of the city since October, when MCGs sanitation staff went on an indefinite strike demanding that the corporation regularise their jobs instead of hiring them as contractual workers. MCGs inaction since then violates the fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment, adding to the woes of Gurgaons residents, the plea said. It said that even before the protest, the citys overall hygiene and civic infrastructure wasnt comparable to the likes of Chandigarh and Panchkula.…accepts notice on behalf of respondent 2 (MCG) and they pray for some time to complete instructions and file responses, if necessary, the November 15 order by high court judge Vinod S Bhardwaj said.The plea will be taken up next on March 6, 2024.Asked about the direction, MCG commissioner PC Meena said on Monday that the situation will improve within a week.We have already expedited the process. Around 350 sanitation workers have joined back. We are hopeful that in a week, things will improve on the ground, he said.Late last week, MCG said it had terminated the services of 13 sanitation work and was considering doing the same for others who dont report back to service. Under Section 303 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act-1994, sanitation workers cannot remain absent without permission from the authorities.The workers on strike have been demanding that the civic body hire 3,480 workers who were left without jobs after sanitation services were outsourced to private firms. Of this, according to MCG, around 700 staffers have been hired by these firms.Daultabad, New Palam Vihar-1 and -2, and sectors 9, 10, 23, 30, 46, 106, 109 and 111 are among the worst affected areas in the city.The right to a clean and healthy environment is a fundamental right, which has been incorporated under Article 21 through various judicial pronouncements. As senior officers of the administration residing in Chandigarh or Panchkula are not affected because of the ongoing stir, thats why the whole administration has taken this issue of garbage being squandered over all places in Gurgaon very lightly, the petitioner told TOI on Monday. He said Gurgaon contributes the highest to Haryanas revenue. Still, the Millennium City is neglected because of apathy… young children and elderly people are confined to their homes due to unhygienic conditions in the city, he added.

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