Protesters oppose outsourcing in two zones, citing job security concerns and potential exploitation. Critics condemned the removal, alleging mistreatment of workers. Workers demand permanent jobs under NULM, rejecting private contractors.
Chennai (Tamil Nadu): Sanitation workers staged a sit-in protest for the 13th consecutive day outside the Greater Chennai Corporation’s Ripon Building, opposing the civic body’s decision to privatise solid waste management in two zones, before being forcibly removed by police around midnight on Wednesday, August 13. According to reports, nearly 800 workers employed under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) were detained within 45 minutes and taken away in buses, following a Madras High Court order to clear the protest site. The protesters have been demanding a rollback of the GCC’s plan to outsource waste management in Royapuram (Zone 5) and Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar (Zone 6), arguing that the move threatens job security, livelihoods, and could lead to exploitation by private agencies. The arrests have drawn sharp criticism from actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay condemned the MK Stalin-led DMK government for what he called the “inhumane and anarchic” midnight crackdown. In a post on X, Vijay alleged that women sanitation workers were dragged away, fainted during the operation, and suffered severe injuries.
“Witnessing this midnight arrest operation, it is evident that violence has been unleashed on women to an extent that no one with a conscience can bear. Immediate medical assistance and treatment must be provided to the injured, and necessary measures should be taken promptly to safeguard their health. The arrested sanitation workers have been detained in various locations, unable to contact their families or access any form of assistance. To detain them in a way that prevents even communication with their families—are sanitation workers anti-national elements? Does the ruling government have even a shred of conscience? Looking at this cruel action, it becomes crystal clear that what is happening in Tamil Nadu is not democracy but tyranny,” he added.
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Protest Intensifies Against DMK
Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary and DMK ally P Shanmugam on Thursday announced that the party will stage a protest pressing the Tamil Nadu government to meet the demands of sanitation workers and take action against police officers accused of manhandling them during Wednesday night’s eviction.
In a statement, Shanmugam described the midnight arrest and removal of the workers as a blatant violation of human rights. He said that in a democracy, the police, judiciary, and administration should stand with those fighting for their rights, but in this case, “all state agencies acted with force.” He criticised the detention of individuals supporting the protest, including instances where they were taken away in unmarked vehicles, calling such actions “a matter of shame for any civilised society.”
Shanmugam urged the government to release all arrested workers and their supporters, meet their demands, and hold accountable the police personnel who allegedly attacked them, as well as the officials who authorised such action. The sanitation workers have insisted on permanent employment and that waste management remain under the NULM scheme, rather than being outsourced to private contractors such as Urbaser-Sumeet and Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd. Ten of Chennai’s 15 zones are already managed by private companies, leaving Zones 5 and 6 among the last under direct GCC control. The privatisation move, set to take effect from August 1, has sparked fears among workers about losing stable employment and facing unsafe working conditions.
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(With inputs from ANI)