Following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, a tense situation arose in Barnala on July 22 over the cleaning of the city. The Municipal Corporation started a sanitation drive to remove heaps of garbage from Handiaya Bazaar and different areas of the city, but the sanitation workers, who are on strike, opposed the move.
During this, a heated argument, clashes took place between the police and the protesting employees. The workers including women alleged that the police resorted to lathi-charge, in which several sanitation workers were injured.
In Barnala, Safai Karamcharis demanding their rights were met with police action as the Mann government tried to crush their protest. Notably, the AAP government promised Rs 1,000 per month to women. Today, those same women are being lathi-charged on Punjab’s streets.
The strike by sanitation workers in Barnala has been continuing for the past several days, due to which heaps of garbage have accumulated in various parts of the city. In view of the increasing risk of infection during the monsoon season, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the authorities to ensure cleanliness in the city.
The situation became more tense near SD College when the police tried to stop the protesting employees. The protesting workers alleged that the police assaulted them and carried out a lathi-charge, while the police maintained that necessary action was taken to maintain law and order.
Leaders of the sanitation workers said that several of their demands, including regularisation, have been pending for a long time. They alleged that the government has been ignoring their demands. They warned that the strike would continue and sanitation work would not resume until their demands are fulfilled. During the protest, the employees also raised slogans against the government.
At present, a deadlock continues between the administration and the striking sanitation workers over the sanitation arrangements in the city. The administration is trying to restore sanitation services in accordance with the High Court’s directions, while the workers are adamant about continuing their agitation over their demands.
Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said, “The brutal use of force against sanitation workers, especially women, in Barnala is absolutely condemnable. It was an unprovoked assault on poor people, and it is totally unacceptable. We demand immediate medical assistance for the injured, urgent talks with the sanitation workers, and the acceptance of their long-pending legitimate demands without any further delay.”
During the protest, sanitation workers also staged symbolic demonstrations against the Punjab government and accused it of ignoring their long-pending demands.
Sanitation Workers’ Union president Gulshan Kumar, women’s wing president Bindu Rani, and union leader Ravi Kumar said their demands, including the regularisation of employees and other service-related issues, are pending for a long time.
They alleged that the state government has been delaying a resolution and said that the strike would continue until all demands are accepted. The union leaders also cautioned that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government would face political consequences in the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections if the issues remain unresolved.
