Shimla Grapples with Growing Garbage Crisis Amid Sanitation Workers’ Strike
Shimla is currently facing a mounting sanitation crisis as the indefinite strike by employees of the SEHB Society entered its third day on Monday. With waste collection services completely disrupted, garbage has begun piling up across roadsides, marketplaces, and residential areas, leaving thousands of households without door-to-door collection.
The impact of the strike is clearly visible throughout the city. Overflowing garbage heaps and foul smells have started troubling residents, raising serious concerns about hygiene and public health—especially at a time when Shimla is seeing an influx of tourists.
On Monday morning, protesting sanitation workers gathered at CTO Chowk, raising slogans and staging a demonstration against the administration. Their main demands include the restoration of the annual 10 percent salary increment and improvements in salary-related benefits. Over 800 SEHB Society employees, responsible for handling the city’s sanitation and garbage collection, are part of this strike.
The employees’ union has made it clear that they will not return to work until their demands are fully met. Union leaders expressed frustration, claiming that despite several meetings with the Municipal Corporation, no concrete steps have been taken to address their concerns. According to them, the strike was triggered after the administration decided to discontinue the annual salary increment. They argue that the proposed increase in dearness allowance cannot substitute for this benefit and may affect their long-term financial security.
Even after the administration invoked the Himachal Pradesh Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) and issued warnings, the workers have continued their protest. Authorities have cautioned that a prolonged disruption of sanitation services could create serious risks to both public health and the environment.
In an effort to manage the situation, the Shimla Municipal Corporation has introduced temporary measures across all 34 wards of the city. Around 229 designated garbage collection points have been set up where residents are being asked to dispose of their waste. Additionally, municipal vehicles have been deployed at specific locations during morning hours for garbage lifting.
Shimla Mayor Surender Chauhan has also stepped in, personally taking part in waste collection activities along with hired labourers. He assured residents that extra vehicles and workers would be deployed to prevent a complete breakdown of sanitation services. At the same time, he appealed to the striking workers to resume duty, promising that their demands would be discussed in the upcoming Annual General Meeting scheduled for June 4.
This situation has once again brought attention to Shimla’s fragile waste management system. The hill city has long struggled with sanitation challenges due to increasing tourist inflow, limited space for waste disposal, narrow roads, and the difficulty of collecting garbage from higher and hard-to-reach areas. During peak tourist seasons, the daily generation of waste rises sharply, further straining the already limited infrastructure.
With garbage remaining uncollected for days, residents are growing increasingly worried about the potential for a larger environmental and health crisis. The ongoing deadlock has also highlighted the city’s heavy reliance on a single workforce for sanitation services, underlining the urgent need for a more resilient and sustainable long-term solution to Shimla’s recurring garbage problem.
