Sanitation workers who have been on strike since more than a week burnt an effigy of the Punjab government to protest the alleged police action against sanitation workers during a demonstration in Barnala on Wednesday.The protest was organised by the sanitation worker union, Nangal. A large number of sanitation workers raising slogans against the Punjab government took the effigy of state government from their dharna at truck union crossing to the road outside SDM office in Nangal and burnt it as a mark of protest.The protesters condemned what they termed as the use of force against employees who were peacefully agitating for their legitimate demands.Addressing the gathering, union president Kaushal Kumar described the alleged police action in Barnala as highly condemnable and said the incident had deeply hurt sanitation workers across Punjab.He warned that if any sanitation worker in the state was subjected to similar treatment in future, the unions would intensify their agitation and launch a statewide protest. He said the Punjab Government and the police administration would be solely responsible for any untoward situation arising out of such action.The protest comes amid the continuing statewide strike by sanitation workers, which has entered its second week in many parts of Punjab.Workers affiliated with various unions have been demanding regularisation of services, improved service conditions, implementation of welfare measures and resolution of other long pending issues.Despite several rounds of meeting with officials of local governments department of Punjab government, no breakthrough has yet been achieved.The strike has severely affected sanitation services in several urban local bodies, where heaps of garbage have accumulated in residential colonies, market areas and public places due to the suspension of door to door waste collection.Overflowing garbage bins and uncollected waste have triggered concerns over deteriorating hygiene and the possibility of disease outbreaks during the ongoing monsoon season.Residents and traders have urged the government to resolve the impasse at the earliest. They have maintained that prolonged disruption of sanitation services could pose serious public health risks and adversely affect business activity.The union appealed to the Punjab Government to initiate meaningful dialogue with employee representatives instead of resorting to coercive measures.Only constructive negotiations could bring an early end to the strike and restore normal sanitation services across the state, the sanitation workers’ union said.