Cleanliness Goes for a Toss as Valmiki Community Sanitation Workers Strike Over Recruitment Dispute in Rajasthan

Jaipur- The sanitation workers' strike continue with over 6,000 workers continuing their protest demanding preferential recruitment for the Valmiki community. Under the aegis of the Samyukta Valmiki and Safai Karmachari Sangh, Valmiki sanitation workers staged a rally within the walled area of Jaipur city on Friday, further intensifying their protest by actively seeking out other workers to join their strike.

The strike has severely disrupted the city's sanitation system. Sweepers have not been servicing hundreds of colonies for the past three days, causing household waste to pile up on the streets.

The situation worsened as rain carried the garbage into drains and colonies, leading to a breakdown of the municipal waste management system.

The municipal corporation is in disarray, with officials and staff failing to engage in field operations. Consequently, contractors and non-Valmiki sanitation workers are also shirking their duties.

The Greater Municipal Corporation is focusing only on upscale areas and wards of the chairpersons, where regular hooper services are continuing, and waste collection is being maintained.

However, conditions in other wards have deteriorated significantly, leading to heaps of 2400 tons of waste accumulating on the streets.

Challenges of Waste Management During Rain: The municipal administration stated that during the rainy season, waste becomes wet and challenging to handle. There is a shortage of personnel to manage wet waste, although some areas are receiving assistance from JCB machines. The strike has exacerbated these difficulties, but the municipal corporation is working to cover the gaps.

Since the announcement of sanitation worker recruitment, Valmiki sanitation workers have gone on strike three times to demand their rights. This has led to a decline in sanitation services, with both the Heritage and Greater Municipal Corporations falling behind in cleanliness surveys compared to previous years.

Despite this, the government remains silent on the issue. Key officials including the Department of Local Bodies, Mayor, Municipal Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, and Chairpersons have yet to take any decisive action.

Last year, the Rajasthan government announced recruitment for sanitation workers, but the process was stalled multiple times due to changes in regulations. The autonomous governance department issued two revised notifications, but the Valmiki community opposed these changes and filed a petition in the High Court, causing further delays. Eventually, a lottery system for recruitment was proposed, which was met with objections from the Valmiki community. They argue that recruitment should be based on muster roll records as per the agreement.

According to Valmiki community leader Deepak Dandoriya, the original provision was to give priority to candidates who had previously worked as sanitation workers in municipal bodies, as well as those with ongoing court cases. He criticized the lottery system as inappropriate for recruitment, asserting that it does not serve the interests of the Valmiki community. Dandoriya stated that unless the government agrees to their demands, sanitation workers across Jaipur and Rajasthan will continue their collective strike and leave.