Patna Municipal Workers' Indefinite Strike Disrupts City Sanitation

An indefinite strike by Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) employees began on July 30, halting door‑to‑door garbage collection and routine street cleaning in the capital of Bihar. Thousands of tonnes of waste piled up on major roads such as Kavi Raman Path, Atal Path and Rajiv Nagar Main Road, and municipal garbage trucks were left parked, raising concerns over public health during the monsoon season.

The Municipal Corporation Employees' Joint Coordination Committee demands regularisation of daily‑wage workers, abolition of the outsourcing system and absorption of outsourced staff into municipal bodies, as well as restoration of ACP and MACP benefits. Health officials warned that stagnant waste in rainy conditions could increase mosquito and fly breeding, heightening the risk of diseases like dengue and malaria. The strike follows a month‑long phased agitation that included protests, sit‑ins and a failed meeting with the Urban Development and Housing Minister on July 28.