Wages for sanitary workers increased, says Mayor Councillors, cutting across party lines, urged corporation officials to engage adequate number of personnel to clear roadside garbage getting piled up. At the council meeting held here on Wednesday, Chairman of Melapalayam Zone, Hyder Ali of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, who raised the issue, said garbage cleaning in his zone was in a pathetic state owing to poor number of sanitary workers. To reinforce the workforce, wages being given to labourers being hired on a daily basis should be revised upwardly, he said. Endorsing Mr. Hyder Ali’s views, councillors Kamaludeen and Kurichi Sekar urged the corporation officials to take immediate steps to solve this nauseating problem. Responding to their views, Mayor Vijila Sathyananth said wages for sanitary workers being hired on temporary basis had been increased to Rs. 165 a day. The increased amount could attract more aspirants to join the existing workforce to ensure better cleanliness of the city. “Moreover, steps have been taken to procure 100 tricycles for door-to-door collection of waste while efforts are on to place 35 more garbage bins at the points wherever it is required. Above all, appeals have been forwarded to the Chief Minister to appoint sanitary workers on compassionate grounds in Tirunelveli Corporation, if it is sanctioned, it will further boost our efforts,” said Ms. Vijila. The meeting decided to give the Vaeinthaankulan new bus-stand two-wheeler and four-wheeler parking bay contract to private parties citing the reason that “it was causing huge annual expenditure of Rs. 13.20 lakh”. Condolence The meeting while thanking Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for having taken “bold initiatives” to encourage solar power generation in the State adopted a resolution condoling the death of former Mayor A.L. Subramanian.