Congress leader Selja questions detention of sanitation workers and leaders amid prolonged strike; urges written orders on previously agreed demands and immediate restoration of cleanliness across Haryana
CHANDIGARH | PEN OF DEMOCRACY NEWS DESK
Congress national general secretary and CWC member, former Union Minister and Sirsa MP Kumari Selja has questioned the Haryana government’s handling of the prolonged strike by sanitation workers and the deteriorating cleanliness situation in several cities. She said the government cannot claim to be negotiating with employees for a solution while simultaneously detaining workers and their leaders.
“On the one hand, the government talks about holding discussions with employees and resolving their demands, while on the other, the same employees and their leaders are being detained. What kind of justice is this?” Selja asked, urging the government to abandon confrontation and work towards a respectful and permanent settlement of the employees’ legitimate demands.
Selja said the sanitation workers’ strike had created a serious public health and civic crisis across several parts of Haryana, with garbage reportedly remaining uncollected for around 17 days in many cities. The prolonged accumulation of waste resulted in heaps of garbage in residential areas, markets and public places, accompanied by foul odour and unhygienic conditions. She said the situation placed residents at risk and raised serious questions about the preparedness of the state administration.
According to Selja, the government’s first responsibility should have been to initiate meaningful dialogue with sanitation workers well before the situation reached such a critical stage. She said timely intervention could have prevented thousands of tonnes of garbage from accumulating across urban areas.
The Congress leader said the issue should not be viewed merely from the perspective of why employees went on strike. The government must also explain why demands on which an agreement had reportedly already been reached were not implemented within the promised timeframe.
“If the government had honoured its commitments to the employees and issued the necessary written orders on time, the workers may not have been compelled to take the path of a strike,” Selja said.
She argued that prolonged disruption of sanitation services affects not only employees but the entire population. For nearly 17 days, residents in several cities were reportedly forced to live amid accumulated garbage and foul odour. She questioned why the government and local administration failed to establish an effective alternative sanitation arrangement during the initial days of the strike.
Selja said garbage collection has now resumed at some locations with police presence. She acknowledged that removing accumulated waste is essential and that residents have a right to clean and hygienic surroundings. However, she stressed that restoring garbage collection cannot be treated as the only solution.
“The garbage must be lifted and people must get a clean environment, but the legitimate problems of sanitation workers also need to be resolved. A permanent solution cannot be achieved merely through the deployment of police personnel,” she said.
The Congress leader questioned the government’s decision-making during the prolonged dispute. She asked why alternative arrangements were not implemented earlier if garbage collection could eventually be restored after 17 days. She also questioned why serious negotiations with employee representatives were not initiated at the beginning of the dispute and what had prevented the government from issuing orders on demands that had already been agreed upon.
Selja further questioned the government’s approach towards employee representatives. She said that if the administration was inviting sanitation workers’ leaders for discussions, there was no justification for simultaneously detaining them.
She maintained that dialogue and administrative action should move in the same direction rather than contradicting each other. According to her, inviting employees for negotiations while taking coercive action against their representatives creates an atmosphere of distrust and makes it more difficult to reach a meaningful settlement.
Selja also expressed concern over the health implications of prolonged garbage accumulation. She said that when waste remains lying in residential and commercial areas for an extended period, the possibility of infectious diseases increases, particularly during the rainy season. Accumulated waste can create unhygienic conditions and affect the health and well-being of residents.
She stressed that sanitation is not an issue belonging to any particular political party or government alone. It is a fundamental public service directly linked to public health, dignity and quality of life. The government, she said, must recognise the importance of sanitation workers and ensure that municipal bodies have adequate manpower, resources and contingency arrangements to maintain essential services even during disputes.
Selja said the government should also examine why repeated disagreements between sanitation workers and authorities are resulting in prolonged disruptions. A sustainable mechanism for dialogue between employees, municipal authorities and the state government should be established so that disputes can be resolved before essential public services are affected.
She said both responsibilities — addressing legitimate employee demands and ensuring a clean environment for citizens — rest with the government. Employees and the public should not be placed on opposite sides of the dispute.
“Listening to legitimate demands of employees and ensuring a clean environment for citizens are both responsibilities of the government,” Selja said, adding that workers and the public should not be forced into confrontation with each other.
She criticised what she described as a cycle of assurances followed by delays in implementation. According to Selja, making commitments, failing to implement them, inviting workers for talks and simultaneously detaining employee leaders does not provide a credible path towards resolving the dispute.
She urged the government to demonstrate greater sensitivity towards sanitation workers, many of whom perform essential services under difficult working conditions. Their contribution, she said, becomes particularly visible when sanitation services are disrupted, but their concerns should be addressed even when services are functioning normally.
Selja called for a clear and written decision on demands that had already been agreed upon between the government and employee representatives. She said employees should receive clarity regarding implementation rather than continuing to depend on verbal assurances.
She also urged the government to avoid unnecessary coercive action against detained employee leaders and create an atmosphere conducive to dialogue. According to her, negotiations can succeed only when representatives are able to participate freely and without fear.
At the same time, Selja called upon the administration to ensure that accumulated garbage is removed immediately from all affected cities and that normal sanitation services are restored without further delay.
She said the government must also develop a permanent contingency mechanism for municipal sanitation services so that future labour disputes do not result in prolonged accumulation of garbage and create health risks for residents.
Selja concluded by urging the Haryana government to prioritise dialogue, resolution and public health instead of confrontation. She demanded that the government hold meaningful talks with sanitation workers, issue clear written orders on previously agreed demands, avoid unnecessary punitive action against employee leaders and ensure immediate restoration of sanitation services across the state.
She said the real test of governance is not merely the ability to manage a crisis after it develops, but the capacity to anticipate problems, honour commitments and resolve disputes before ordinary citizens are forced to bear the consequences.
