Sanitary Workers Make Waves: Stand Against Privatization Plunges into Cooum River

Sanitary workers in Chennai are protesting against the privatization of two zones, fearing job losses and demanding service regularization. Their unique protest involved entering the polluted Cooum River. Despite ongoing protests for 158 days, authorities have ignored their demands, prompting larger demonstrations.

In a dramatic show of resistance, sanitary workers in Chennai waded into the sewage-filled Cooum River to protest against the privatization of two key zones in the city. The demonstration is part of a larger movement against proposed changes that workers fear will lead to job losses and demand that their services be regularized.

The protest, lasting more than three months, reached a peak last week when workers, supporting the 'Uzhippor Urimai Iyakkam', stepped into the waist-deep waters of the Cooum River. Brandishing placards, they denounced the Greater Chennai Corporation's decision to outsource solid waste management of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar and Royapuram zones to private operators.

Authorities, including police and Fire and Rescue Personnel, swiftly intervened to remove the demonstrators. Despite the action, protestors, led by the organization's President K Bharathi, vowed to continue their campaign. Bharathi criticized the government's reluctance to hold discussions with the workers, contrasting it with negotiations being held with nurses and other government employees.

(With inputs from agencies.)