The deadlock between the Haryana government and protesting sanitation workers continued on Tuesday as another round of talks failed to yield a breakthrough, prompting the employees to extend their statewide strike till September 3.
The agitation, which began on August 6 as a proposed three-day protest, has now entered its fourth week and disrupted garbage collection and other civic services across several towns and cities. Large quantities of uncollected waste have accumulated in most of the cities, especially in Rohtak, Hisar, Sonepat and other urban centres, while municipal administrations have deployed alternative workers, machinery and police escorts to clear the garbage.
The workers, backed by the Haryana Municipal Employees Union and Sarv Karamchari Sangh, are primarily demanding regularisation of contractual sanitation and fire service employees, an end to the contract system and implementation of the 17-point agreement reached with the government on May 13 after their previous strike.
The government, however, maintains that substantial progress has been made on their demands. Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini told the state Assembly on Tuesday that the government was working to resolve the issue as 12 demands of the sanitation workers had been accepted, while issues before courts would be dealt with in accordance with judicial directions.
The conflicting claims have kept the negotiations deadlocked. Worker leaders maintain that assurances given during the May settlement have not translated into concrete orders and have refused to resume work without a written commitment on their core demands.
{{/usCountry}}The conflicting claims have kept the negotiations deadlocked. Worker leaders maintain that assurances given during the May settlement have not translated into concrete orders and have refused to resume work without a written commitment on their core demands.
{{/usCountry}}The prolonged strike has also triggered confrontations between protesters and civic administrations attempting to restore sanitation services. In Hisar clashes broke out when municipal teams, accompanied by police, attempted to clear waste. Several workers were detained for disrupting the cleanliness efforts by the authorities.
The situation has remained tense in other towns as well. In Hansi, striking municipal and fire service employees confronted police after the administration brought in agency workers for sanitation operations.
In Rohtak Congress Seva Dal workers on Tuesday sprayed insecticide on garbage heaps at several locations in the city, including Saini College Road, Model Town and Gohana Chowk, citing the risk of mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects.
In Sonepat, Congress leaders joined sanitation workers at their prolonged dharna outside the municipal corporation office and accused the government of failing to honour its assurances. Urban district Congress president Kamal Diwan said mere assurances would not resolve the workers’ grievances and threatened to raise the issue in the Assembly.
Meanwhile, the agitation has increasingly turned confrontational in Hisar. Police have been deployed to facilitate garbage collection, while workers have opposed the movement of municipal vehicles. Authorities have warned of action against anyone obstructing garbage-lifting operations.
With the strike now extended till September 3, both sides face mounting pressure to break the impasse as accumulated waste becomes an increasing public health and civic concern across Haryana.