SUKKUR, May 20: Shopkeepers of the city here on Monday announced to observe a shutter-down strike on Wednesday unless cleanliness was restored to the city in 24 hours.

The sanitation staff is on strike for the last six days resulting in heaps of garbage dumped everywhere and manholes overflowing at many places round the city.

Alternate arrangements, made by the authorities to lift the garbage and carry out cleaning has so far failed to work.

Hundreds of the shopkeepers on Monday took out a procession demanding an immediate action to deal with the situation. They criticised the Taluka Council for its failure to persuade the sanitation staff back to work.

The protesters marched through the main roads and staged a demonstration at the Clock Tower where the President of Small Traders, Sukkur, Haji Haroon Memon, addressed them. He said that the business community would resort to shutter-down strike on Wednesday if the city was not cleaned by Tuesday.

It was observed that heaps of garbage have made it virtually impossible for shopkeepers to run their business as streets, especially narrow ones, in various markets and shopping areas were blocked. Filthy water in some areas has added to the miseries and the risk of the spread of epidemics was growing.

The traders complained that unhygienic conditions were keeping customers away from their shops and markets causing them losses and frustration.

The sanitation staff is demanding payment of salaries to end the strike.

Meanwhile, a large number of women sweepers staged an demonstration in front of the Taluka Nazim office when the taluka assembly was in session.

The protesting women tired to break into the council hall and police had to intervene to prevent them from disrupting the meeting.

The protesters, however, managed to force their way into several sections of the Taluka Council offices.

They pushed many of the officials out of their seats and occupied their offices.

They were, later, persuaded to vacate the offices.

Following the incident, the taluka council decided not to accept their demands and go ahead with the alternate arrangements for sanitation work.

A good number of contract employees have been hired by the taluka council for the purpose.

The council also decided to terminate the services of the employees on strike.

Meanwhile, the council has resolved to urge the government to release full amount of the salary bill, i.e. Rs7.2million, so that the salaries of all the employees could be reimbursed.