Migrant exodus cripples Gurugram’s daily life, garbage piles up

Fearful of harassment and arbitrary detention, many sanitation workers, domestic helps, and daily wagers have packed up overnight and left

A civic and humanitarian crisis is quietly unfolding in Gurugram.

Garbage on Khandsa Road in Gurugram Sector 11 on Friday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

In its upscale apartments and gated colonies, the signs are everywhere — uncollected garbage, stinking corridors, and families scrambling to manage chores. Over the past week, hundreds of sanitation workers, domestic helps, and daily wagers — many of them migrants from West Bengal and Assam — have left the city amid a police verification drive targeting alleged illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

What began as a law enforcement exercise has spiralled into a civic rupture, exposing how deeply Gurugram’s daily rhythms rely on an invisible workforce now fleeing the city.

Fearful of harassment and arbitrary detention, many have packed up overnight and left, disrupting core civic services and pushing both resident welfare associations (RWAs) and the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) into crisis mode.

On Friday, the impact became unmissable. Across South City 2, Sector 45, Sector 47, Palam Vihar, Sector 109, Sector 69–70, Sector 57, Wazirabad, and Badshahpur, at least 10 trucks were seen ferrying household goods out of slum clusters. According to residents and RWAs, entire families fled under cover of darkness to avoid being stopped at police checkpoints.

“I have been working in Gurugram for four years, but now I am scared,” said Rashida Bibi, a domestic worker in Sector 45, as she loaded her belongings into a tempo bound for Murshidabad. “People are saying we will be arrested. I don’t know what’s happening, so I am going home.”

Mohammad Arif, a sanitation worker in Sector 69, said even those with Aadhaar cards were being questioned. “We are not criminals, but we are being treated like that. I’ve decided to leave before things get worse.”

Sabina Khatoon, who worked as a cook in Sector 57, said her family had already left quietly at night. “Even if you are legal, people are suspicious. I’ll return if things calm down, but for now, I’m going back to Malda.”

The exodus has hit where it hurts most — cleanliness and basic domestic functioning. “We’ve had no garbage collection for the last two weeks,” said Manav Singh, a resident of Palam Vihar. “Our sanitation agency says most of its employees have left due to the police crackdown. We’re now dealing with overflowing bins and stinking corridors. It’s a complete breakdown.”

Some residents allege that the police action has not just spurred fear but crossed into harassment. “Our house help’s family was allegedly picked up and beaten. They were asked to pay ₹10,000 to be let go,” said Prabhat Bhardwaj, president of Bellevue Central Park-2, Sector 48. “We need a clear policy and an official ID system to avoid such chaos.”

Gurugram Police, however, has denied the allegations. “The drive is focused solely on identifying and deporting illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators. So far, 10 such individuals have been identified,” a senior officer said. “There is no harassment involved. All procedures are monitored on camera. We’ve received some complaints of misinformation and are looking into them.”

An advisory issued to RWAs by the police and accessed by HT stated that no legal resident or Indian citizen would face action. “Some mischievous elements are spreading rumours that residents from certain states are being targeted. These are false. Please do not panic,” the note read.

Yet, the toll on services continues to mount.

MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya admitted that sanitation has been severely hit. “We are conducting daily sanitation review meetings. While the situation is challenging, we won’t let the city fall into crisis,” he said. “We’re engaging private contractors until new long-term agencies are on-boarded.”

The fragility of the system was already exposed by the expiration of Gurugram’s waste collection contract in June. Although four private agencies were roped in temporarily, the sudden loss of trained labour has brought the system to its knees.

In Sector 50, the disruption has been acute. “Many residents have small children and both parents working. With maids, car cleaners, and other workers fleeing, managing home and office is becoming impossible,” said Nilesh Tandon, RWA president of Fresco Apartments.

Some residents have called for a more nuanced approach. “The identification of Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators is a complex exercise. They often possess fake Aadhaar cards, ration cards, voter IDs,” said Major General (Retd) Subhash Gogna, a resident of Sector 79. “This isn’t a job that can be completed in a few days. We must cooperate with the police and support legitimate Bengali-speaking Indians who may otherwise be unfairly targeted.”

Citizen activist Gauri Sarin, founder of Making Model Gurugram, urged RWAs to act responsibly. “We must circulate factual notes within societies, support staff who are legitimate citizens, and avoid fuelling rumours,” she said. “Shockingly, over 70% of RWAs don’t even have verified records of their house helps or drivers.”

There is no official count of how many workers have fled, but district officials estimate that over 100,000 migrants from states like West Bengal and Assam live in Gurugram. With more departures expected, the city could be staring at a prolonged civic and humanitarian crisis.