As The Tribune team walked through various areas in Sangrur, residents alleged that the routine garbage collection system had virtually collapsed. They complained that waste had accumulated near markets, hospitals, residential colonies, bus stands and roadside dumping points.

“You can yourself see maggot-infested dog carcasses in the open. On the main Sangrur road, there is a dead cow lying for the past two days and no one is bothered,” claimed AS Mann, a local social worker working on sanitation and de-addiction issues.

Residents in several areas of the district have started burning plastic and mixed solid waste in the open, triggering concerns over the already-polluted air quality.

Doctors and environmental experts warned that burning plastic waste releases toxic gases, which could lead to severe health complications. They said prolonged exposure to such smoke could trigger asthma, breathing difficulties, eye irritation, skin allergies and lung diseases, particularly among children and the elderly.

“We have been raising the matter of segregation of wet and dry waste, but the administration has failed to resolve it for over a decade. At present, the entire city has been turned into a garbage dump,” said Brig Rajsher Singh Grewal (retd), who has repeatedly raised the matter with the authorities. “What will happen if it rains heavily is anybody’s guess? Our district is AAP's power centre and despite the CM, Finance Minister and AAP president from here, there are garbage heaps everywhere,” said Grewal.

The strike of sanitation workers, who are demanding regularisation, has affected the lives of the residents who now fear a pandemic-like situation if the roadside waste is not cleared soon. Meanwhile, sanitation workers claimed that till their demands were met, they would neither collect garbage nor allow anyone to do the same.

Sangrur Deputy Commissioner Poonamdeep Kaur said she had already held three meetings with the sanitation workers and efforts were on to resolve the issue. “The residents are suffering and we have asked the union members to come to the table and ensure garbage is cleared from roads. We will look for alternative arrangements in case the stalemate continues for the next 24 hours,” she said.