More than 300 workers were removed from duty after privatisation, causing a sudden disruption in daily waste management.
Published Aug 06, 2025 | 11:32 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 06, 2025 | 11:33 AM
Sanitation workers protest Chennai.
Synopsis: Sanitation in several parts of Chennai is in a fix following the protest of sanitation workers. The protest began after the Greater Chennai Corporation handed over sanitation work in these areas to a private company. The workers say they will continue the protest until their demands are met.
Overflowing bins, garbage piling up on streets, and uncleared dump yards have become a regular sight in parts of Chennai, where sanitation work remains disrupted. In Royapuram, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, and Ambattur zones, the backlog has grown worse with each passing day of the sanitation workers’ protest, which entered its fifth day on Tuesday, 5 August.
With trash lying unattended in households and public places, people are worried about health risks, especially with the monsoon season nearing its peak. The protest began after the Greater Chennai Corporation handed over sanitation work in these areas to a private company.
More than 300 workers were removed from duty, causing a sudden disruption in daily waste management. Residents say mosquitoes have increased, and the stench in some streets is becoming unbearable. There is growing fear that if this continues, it could lead to the spread of diseases.
Many protesting workers say they haven’t eaten or slept properly in days, but they continue their sit-in outside Ripon Buildings, fighting to keep the jobs that are their only livelihood.
Meanwhile, the Corporation reassigned workers from nearby zones and asked them to work longer hours to manage the situation. However, this has not been enough. Both residents and the affected workers say that unless a proper solution is found soon, the problem could turn into a full-blown public health crisis across the city.
Sanitation workers who were taken off duty say they have been left with no answers, no income, and no basic facilities. The protest is unfolding on the roadside in front of the Greater Chennai Corporation office, without shelter, food, or toilets.
“It’s been raining and we’re still sitting here,” Suresh, one of the workers leading the protest, told South First. “In the afternoons, it’s like fire. We can’t even bear the heat. Still, no one has come to talk to us.”
He said that while top officials like the Mayor and the Corporation Commissioner have visited nearby areas, they haven’t spoken to the workers directly.
“They just come and go. Their people come. Their partners come. But no one tells us anything. We don’t even know what’s happening to us,” Suresh added.
The sanitation workers have been protesting the Greater Chennai Corporation’s decision to hand over solid waste management in certain zones to a private contractor. Many of them say the new contractor has refused to take them on.
“I have worked for the Corporation for 11 years,” M Arul, one of the protesters, told South First, adding, “We worked during Covid. We cleaned your streets during floods. And now suddenly, we are told that we’re not needed anymore!”
Sanitation workers like Arul say that the shift to a private contractor will slash their salaries from around ₹23,000 to as low as ₹13,000–₹15,000. “My house rent alone is ₹10,000,” said Arul.
“If we’re paid only ₹13,000 or ₹15,000, we’ll be left with barely ₹3,000 or ₹5,000. How are we supposed to survive in this city with that? What will we eat? How will we raise our children?” he asked.
The workers argue that they meet the criteria for regularisation. “If a worker has put in 241 working days in a year, they should be made permanent,” Arul said. “That’s the rule, both for the Tamil Nadu government and the Union government. Why are we being thrown out?”
“There is no food. No water. No toilets,” said Arul. “We sleep here on the ground. When it rained yesterday, everything was wet. And during the day, the sun burns us. Still, we are here,” he added.
Suresh added that some relatives had been sending food for a few workers, but many were surviving on water alone. “We haven’t eaten properly in six days. We’re struggling here. And still, no one has come to give us any clear answer.”
Both workers pointed to promises made by Chief Minister MK Stalin in the past. “Before he came to power, in 2021, he said he would regularise workers like us,” said Suresh. “There’s proof of that promise. What happened to it now?” they asked.
“We are not asking for charity,” said Arul, adding, “We are asking for what we’ve earned, for our jobs, our dignity. Don’t treat us like we are invisible.”
The workers say they will continue the protest until their demands are met. “Even if we lose our lives, we will keep going,” said Suresh.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, senior AIADMK leader and former minister D Jayakumar joined the sanitation workers. “These workers have served the city during floods, cyclones, and the pandemic. If anyone deserves the highest salary, it is them,” he told reporters.
Yet the government cannot even spare time to speak to them, he added. “They have been protesting for five days without food or water. And for five days, Zones 5 and 6 have stunk due to garbage piling up.”
He called out what he saw as hypocrisy from Chief Minister Stalin, “During the pandemic, Stalin praised these workers for making a great sacrifice. Today, he abandons them.”
The former minister also attacked the state’s recruitment record. “The government has not filled vacancies in education, healthcare, electricity, urban development, or transport. If the Chief Minister has created jobs in southern districts, let him publish the list,” Jayakumar said.
In a sharp personal attack, Jayakumar said: “This Chief Minister runs on lies, lies are his foundation, his livelihood, his entire identity. If there were an Oscar award for lying, it should go to Stalin.”
Criticising the branding of welfare schemes under the Nalam Kaakkum Stalin (Stalin, the protector of health) tagline, Jayakumar said, “Garbage is piled up across North Chennai, and he calls himself ‘Nalam Kaakkum’? Why did he stay silent for four-and-a-half years and start saying this only before elections?”
He reiterated that using “Amma” for schemes was appropriate because the name had become universal.“If Stalin wants schemes in his name, he should fund them using the Karunanidhi or Muthuvel family’s personal wealth. What moral right does he have to use taxpayer money for self-promotion?” Jayakumar asked.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
