Sanitary workers protest at Telangana Secretariat over pending salaries

Sanitary workers and scavengers working at police stations across Telangana staged a protest at the Secretariat, seeking payment of salaries pending for 20 months. Workers said about 4,500 people were affected and appealed to senior officials to clear their dues.

Hyderabad: After retired employees and contractors, sanitary workers and scavengers working at different police stations staged a protest at the Secretariat on Tuesday, demanding payment of their pending salaries.

The sanitary workers sweep and maintain sanitation at different police stations across the State. They are enrolled as part-time workers and are paid a minimum salary of Rs 5,200 a month.

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However, the workers alleged that they had not been paid their salaries for the past 20 months. “For the last 20 months, our salaries have not been paid. Every time we raise the issue, senior officers assure us that the salary would definitely be credited the next month. But it has not been paid so far,” a sanitary worker said at the Secretariat.

About 4,500 such workers are employed across the State. The workers said they had met Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and appealed to them to clear their pending salaries.

“We have also been to Praja Bhavan. But officials say the government has to clear the salaries. This has been the case for the last 20 months,” another worker said.

“Initially, our salaries were Rs 150 a month. They were increased to Rs 500 and later to Rs 3,000. Considering our hardships, the BRS government increased our salaries to Rs 5,200. It is very challenging to meet our monthly expenses,” a woman worker said.

Vexed with the alleged official apathy in clearing their pending salaries, nearly 150 sanitary workers wanted to meet Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the Secretariat on Tuesday. However, after learning that he was in New Delhi, the workers wanted to meet Home Secretary Shikha Goel and submit an appeal.

20 నెలలుగా 4 వేల మంది స్వీపర్లకు జీతాలు చెల్లించక పోవడం దుర్మార్గం.

ఇదే నా ఒకటో తారీఖు జీతాలు ఇవ్వడం అంటే సీఎం @revanth_anumula గారు, @Bhatti_Mallu గారు ? pic.twitter.com/fWI0PKJSOv

— Harish Rao Thanneeru (@BRSHarish) September 29, 2026