TN announces sops sans job regularisation, DMK’s poll pledge; Opposition condemns forcible eviction of protesting sanitary workers

With the opposition parties condemning the police for forcibly removing sanitary workers, on protest for 14 days, demonstrating against privatisation of conservancy work, and demanding job regularisation, as promised by the DMK in the 2021 election campaign, the Stalin government, on Thursday, announced a slew of sops, including housing, sans regularisation.

Armed with a High Court order, delivered on a PIL petition on Wednesday, directing the removal of workers and their supporters holding the protest without prior permission, the police forcibly evicted them from the place last night midnight.

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About 600 workers, along with their advocates, were holding a sit-in for the last 14 days at the Ripon Building Complex, housing the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) headquarters, protesting against privatisation of conservancy work in the zones in North Chennai, including the thickly populated Royapuram. They were also demanding that the ruling DMK implement its poll promise of regularising their services. They were also citing a letter written by Stalin in 2021, then in the opposition, condemning the move to privatise conservancy work by the GCC.

The forcible eviction has invited the condemnation of the opposition parties, with AIADMK general secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor Vijay leading the charge against the Stalin government.

The DMK’s allies, including the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Left Parties, are urging the government to cancel the tender awarded to a private concern and consider the demands of the workers. The Dravidar Kazhagam (DK), the ideological mentor of the DMK, has also requested the Chief Minister to fulfil the workers’ demands. They also recalled their selfless service during the Corona lockdown and the December deluge. DK president K Veeramani, in a statement, recalled Dravidian icon ‘Periyar’ EV Ramasamy’s suggestion that sanitation workers should be taken care of by the state with a higher pay scale.

After the midnight eviction, the state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister MK Stalin, has come out with a slew of welfare measures to assuage them. Making a strong appeal to the sanitary workers to withdraw their stir, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu told the post-cabinet press briefing that the government was prepared for talks with the protesting workers and announced six new schemes for the welfare of the conservancy workers.

“The new initiatives include Rs 5 lakh compensation for the families of workers who die in harness, in addition to the Rs 5 lakh provided by the Conservancy Workers’ Welfare Board, taking the total to Rs 10 lakh. To address their housing needs, 30,000 housing units will be built in collaboration with the TN Housing Board and TN Urban Habitat Development Board. In the rural areas, the conservancy workers will be accorded priority in the allotment of the Kalaignar Kanavu Illam scheme. Besides higher education financial assistance for their wards, Rs 3.50 lakh would be provided for their self-employment ventures with a 35 per cent subsidy. Since their work involves health risks, a new scheme would be implemented to diagnose and treat them for skin and lung-related diseases,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, the Madras High Court is hearing petitions against the police for beating and ill-treating advocates who were with the protesting workers. The writs included a habeas corpus petition seeking to produce an advocate whom the police had detained.