Puri: Hundreds of sanitation workers staged a protest against the privatisation of cleaning services in five wards of Puri municipality.
Demonstrators, led by the Puri Municipal Workers’ Union, marched from Mochisahi chowk to the municipal office, where they submitted a memorandum of demands to the authorities. The protest comes in response to the municipality’s decision to outsource sanitation work in wards 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8, areas primarily surrounding the Shree Mandir, to a Bhubaneswar-based private company.
The contract, effective from Dec 1, is valued at Rs 2.42 crore annually, significantly higher than the previous cleaning budget of Rs 65 lakh for all 32 wards. Union president Jagannath Deo highlighted several grievances, including the non-implementation of the Rs 400 minimum wage announced in Mar and irregular PF deposits despite regular deductions.
The union also demanded employment opportunities for family members of retired workers and gratuity benefits for long-serving daily wage workers. “The municipality has failed to fill 664 vacant positions following retirements, opting instead for privatisation,” said state union leader Pradeep Nayak. Workers expressed concerns about potential job losses, despite being transferred to other wards.
Responding to these concerns, municipality executive officer Abhimanyu Behera said, “The privatisation aims to provide better sanitation facilities in tourist-heavy areas near the temple. No municipal worker has been or will be terminated.”