From the past two days, conservancy workers at Pune Railway Station have stopped work to protest against unpaid bonus, which was earlier assured by their contractor. With 130 workers deciding not to clear the rubbish, filth on the tracks, toilets and platforms is piling up, impelling commuters to make their way through the collected garbage.

The dirty picture: Discarded paper and plastic at a staircas

Moreover, with the railways introducing special holiday trains to beat the Diwali rush, and thousands of commuters thronging the station, it is starting to resemble a dump yard. u00a0“According to the contract, we should get one month salary as bonus. Until last year we used get our bonus on time. But this year without any reason the contractor has refused to pay. Workers get Rs 260 per day, which works to Rs 6,760 per month for 26 working days. It is our right to get the bonus on time, and till we are not paid, we will not work,” said Shobha Jadhav, president Rail Theka Majdoor Union.u00a0