ROHTAK, Aug. 21 -- Mounting garbage heaps, overflowing waste collection points and a worsening public health threat have pushed civic life in several Haryana towns and cities to the brink, as the statewide strike by municipal sanitation workers, sewer employees and fire brigade staff entered its 15th day on Wednesday.

What began on August 6 as a three-day agitation has now turned into an indefinite standoff between the Haryana government and thousands of civic employees working in municipal corporations, municipal councils and municipal committees.

The prolonged strike has severely affected sanitation services across Haryana. Garbage has accumulated in residential colonies, markets, on roadsides, in government offices, and in public pla...