Sanitation workers protest GHMC privatisation of garbage collection near Assembly

Sanitation workers staged protests near the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Saturday against GHMC’s plan to privatise door-to-door garbage collection. Police detained several protesters and diverted traffic as rallies caused congestion around Basheerbagh and Tank Bund.

Hyderabad: Traffic went haywire around Telangana Legislative Assembly on Saturday as Swachh Auto and sanitation workers staged protests opposing the privatisation of door-to-door garbage collection work by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

The police had beefed up security around the Assembly since morning following inputs that a large number of garbage collection workers would gather and attempt to lay siege to the premises.

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The protesters, who have been opposing the proposed outsourcing and privatisation of waste collection, arrived in small batches at different locations and tried to move towards the Assembly. Police took several protesters, including women, into preventive custody at Public Gardens, the Police Control Room, Gun Park and near the Assembly gate.

In the late afternoon, around 500 workers took out a rally towards the Assembly. However, the police stopped them near Ayakar Bhavan. The protesters subsequently moved towards the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar statue at Tank Bund, where they held a brief protest.

The rally led to traffic congestion on Basheerbagh Road and Tank Bund for nearly an hour, with police personnel regulating traffic and diverting vehicles at several points.

The workers contend that handing over door-to-door garbage collection to private agencies would threaten their livelihoods, job security and wages. They have urged the government to stop the proposed privatisation and continue the municipal waste collection system, saying many workers have depended on the work for years.