Mohammad Javed, another sanitation worker with a van service company, said he began work at around 8:00 a.m. after offering Eid prayers at the local mosque. He has been removing “qurbani” waste from Road 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 in the Mohammadia Housing area.
Working as a van service cleaner, Javed has been removing the waste of sacrificial animals for the past 21 years. He said, “There was a time when even after we collected the garbage from houses and streets, it used to rot on the roads. At that time the municipal corporation did not have enough staff. Now the situation has changed. For the past few years, the garbage does not rot on the roads.”
Sources in the DNCC waste management department say that this year the mayor has announced that the “qurbani” waste will be removed within six hours. The task involves around 4,200 sweepers who collect domestic waste from 54 wards. They basically collect garbage from areas specified by the municipal corporation. These workers are not on the municipal corporation's salary and are not paid any separate salary for Eid.
Many employees of the van service company say that they cannot be with their families on Eid day as they are busy cleaning the garbage of “Qurbani”. The workload is so high that they cannot even cook food at home. They say that since the municipal corporation does not pay them, they will at least get one meal on Eid day.