Mumbai: Sanitation Workers Protest Outside BMC Over New Slum Cleaning Contracts

Sanitation workers have strongly opposed Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's new slum cleaning programme, which provides sanitation work contracts to specific companies for public toilets and cleanliness work in slum areas of Mumbai. BMC decided to scrap Swachh Mumbai Prabodhan Abhiyan (SMPA) and instead provide a contract to a single company. Under this reportedly, 3000 workers may get out of work.  Sanitation worker unions staged a protest outside the BMC headquarters on Wednesday, decrying these proposed contracts. Alongside, members from Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar Group), the Aam Aadmi Party, the Communist Party, and allies from India Alliance joined the demonstration. The protest site saw a significant police presence, with barricades securing the BMC headquarters and surrounding roads. Despite attempts by protesters to breach the barricades and enter the headquarters, they were thwarted by law enforcement.

Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad said, "BMC is trying to make 15000 people jobless, just to provide tenders to a big company, we oppose this. These people worked for more than two decades and have now been asked to leave. All we want is for this person to have their job and increase their remuneration."  Previously, BMC allocated approximately Rs. 75 crores annually for cleanliness operations. However, the new plan reportedly a total expenditure of Rs. 1200 crores over a four-year contract period. Bids have been solicited for these contracts, including the management of approximately eight thousand public toilets across Mumbai, with an estimated worth of Rs. 1300 crores. Following this, the protest committee attempted to meet BMC's Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal. However, they were blocked from entering the headquarters. The police detained hundreds of protesters and took them to Azad Maidan Police Station. 

 

Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad, Communist leader Prakash Reddy, and Dadarav Patil, the leader of Kachara Vahatuk Shramik Sangh were among those who participated in the protest. Prakash Reddy allegedly said, "A specific major political leader's company is being awarded contracts for cleanliness in slum areas and public toilets, exploiting thousands of poor workers and women, demanding Rs. 15,000 crores."