Chennai, June 21 (IANS) The Communist Party of India (CPI) has urged the Tamil Nadu government to withdraw its reported decision to privatise sanitation and solid waste management services in municipal corporations across the state, arguing that such a move would adversely affect thousands of sanitation workers and undermine the principles of social justice.

In a statement, CPI State Secretary M. Veerapandian expressed concern over reports that the government was moving ahead with plans to hand over sanitation operations to private agencies in several municipal corporations, including Tambaram, Avadi, Hosur, Vellore, Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Tiruppur, Madurai and Thoothukudi.

Noting that sanitation work is an essential and permanent public service closely linked to public health and the well-being of urban residents, he pointed out that a large proportion of sanitation workers employed by local bodies belong to historically oppressed and marginalised communities and depend on these jobs for their livelihood.

“In a society that continues to grapple with caste-based inequalities, it is unjust to push sanitation workers into an employment system where they are denied job security, regular wages, pension benefits and other labour rights,” he said.

The CPI leader noted that the party had consistently opposed contractual and private-sector arrangements in sanitation services, alleging that such systems had enabled the exploitation of workers by private contractors. He recalled that the CPI, along with various Left organisations and trade unions, had organised protests and campaigns against earlier attempts by successive governments to privatise sanitation work.

According to Veerapandian, previous administrations ignored repeated demands to safeguard workers’ rights and continued to expand private participation in sanitation services. He urged the present government to reverse that approach and instead strengthen public-sector employment in local bodies.

The CPI also called for a long-term strategy to improve the working conditions of sanitation workers.

Veerapandian said the government should gradually reduce dependence on manual sanitation work by introducing modern technology, mechanised cleaning systems and scientific waste-management practices. At the same time, he stressed that workers currently engaged in sanitation duties should be provided with alternative employment opportunities, skill development programmes and adequate social security protections to ensure that technological advancements do not result in job losses.

“The government must prioritise social justice, worker welfare and public health rather than pursuing privatisation,” he said.

–IANS

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