Amid the ongoing strike by Municipal Council and committee staff, the Sirsa administration, supported by police, launched a major cleanliness drive on Friday morning, clearing around 200 tonnes of garbage from eight dumping sites across the city.
The operation, which began at 5.30 am and continued for several hours, saw tensions flare-up between sanitation workers and police at multiple locations. The drive started from the city bus stand, where garbage from nearby colonies and markets had got accumulated. As municipal teams arrived with earth-moving machines, sanitation workers resisted the move, prompting the police to intervene. Fourteen protesters were taken into custody. Workers’ union leaders, including Manoj Athwal, arrived at the site and raised slogans against the administration. All detained workers were released after half-an-hour.
Officials claimed that during the operation, roughly 200 tonnes of garbage was removed, providing significant relief to residents.
However, protests by the workers continued in other parts of the city. Near Arya School and the Rain Basera area, female sanitation workers clashed with the police over alleged misconduct by male cops. The workers said similar incidents had occurred at the bus stand. Union president Manoj Athwal stated that, according to law, male cops cannot be deployed against female protesters, but the rule was allegedly violated. He added that the issue had been escalated to the union leadership at the state level.
The sanitation workers’ union also expressed dissatisfaction with the administration, stating that the strike would continue until their demands were met. Athwal warned that if the authorities tried to remove garbage, the workers will lock the municipal office and stage protests from Monday.
According to the Municipal Council, the city generates around 140 tonnes of garbage daily. Due to the strike over the past eight days, around 1,100 tonnes of waste had got accumulated. Even after Friday’s clearance, around 900 tonnes of garbage is yet to be cleared, highlighting the ongoing sanitation challenge in the city.
Protest in Fatehabad
The strike by Municipal Council employees in Fatehabad entered its eighth day on Friday. Workers staged a sit-in at the municipal office and raised slogans against the government. The strike has severely disrupted city sanitation, with garbage piling up in several areas. Union leaders Naresh Rana and Satyavan Talk alleged that the government has ignored their demands, including ending contract employment and providing justice and financial aid to fire personnel martyred in the Faridabad fire. They said the protest will be extended till May 11.
