800 Sanitation Workers Detained By Police In Chennai

The sanitation workers were detained by the police late night on Wednesday for protesting outside the Ripon building, the head office of Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). The workers were protesting against the privatization of waste management from August 1 continuously for 13 days.

According to the protesting workers, the privatisation of the waste management is a threat to their job security, livelihoods and exposes them to exploitation by private agencies.

Earlier, the GCC had triggered outrage by announcing plans to outsource waste management in Royapuram (Zone 5) and Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar (Zone 6) from August 1. These were among the last remaining zones under direct GCC control, with 10 out of Chennai's 15 zones already managed by private contractors such as Spain-based Urbaser-Sumeet and Andhra Pradesh-based Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd (REEL),  The Daily Jagran  reported. 

The police action came hours after the Madras High Court said: "We hope and expect that in the name of agitation, the pavements/pathways roads shall not be allowed to be blocked." Police physically removed the workers and moved them in vehicles elsewhere.

Around 600 protesters, including advocates and members of the Communist parties, were removed from the pavement near the Ripon Building. The detainees were transported in as many as 15 buses to several private marriage halls near Kannappar Thidal, according to police, The Hindu reported.

AIADMK chief and Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition, Edappadi K Palaniswami and TVK founder-actor Vijay condemned the ruling DMK over the police action. BJP Tamil Nadu president Nainar Nagendran, condemning the detention of the protestors, in a post on X, said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin did not have the heart to meet the protesting workers, but had time to extend wishes to a film crew. This was shameful.

In a post on X, K. Selvaperunthagai, president of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), an ally of the ruling DMK, expressed concern over the manner in which the protesters were evacuated and detained.