Madhya Pradesh sanitation workers’ strike has disrupted garbage collection across several cities, leaving waste piled up in residential areas, markets and public spaces, with Bhopal among the worst-affected urban centres ahead of Diwali.
The indefinite strike is being led by the Madhya Pradesh Akhil Bharatiya Safai Mazdoor Congress and the Swatantra Kamgaar Sangh. Union president Magan Jhanjhot said nearly 2.5 lakh sanitation workers across the state had joined the protest. He claimed that workers from 14 of Madhya Pradesh’s 16 municipal corporations were participating, with Indore and Ujjain reported as exceptions.
In Bhopal, garbage collection was disrupted for a second consecutive day on Thursday. The city generates around 850 tonnes of waste daily, while approximately 800 garbage collection vehicles have reportedly remained parked during the stoppage. Garbage was also seen accumulated near the entrance of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation’s multi-storey headquarters.
The strike has affected more than waste collection. Jhanjhot said nearly 14,000 daily-wage municipal employees had also joined the protest. “We are also bringing daily-wage employees into the protest. They will join the agitation and will benefit if our demands are accepted,” he said.
The unions are seeking permanent employment for sanitation workers, a minimum monthly salary of ₹25,000 and an end to contractual hiring. A second meeting with senior officials of the Urban Administration and Development Department failed to produce a breakthrough on Thursday morning. The unions are now seeking direct intervention from Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
The disruption has placed Madhya Pradesh’s urban cleanliness system under pressure. Indore has repeatedly topped the national Swachh Survekshan rankings, while Bhopal has also featured among India’s leading clean cities. The current stoppage has brought the operational dependence of that system on sanitation workers and municipal vehicles into sharp focus, with routine collection halted in multiple locations.
The unions have also warned that they could suspend water supply from Friday if their demands are not addressed. Bhopal has more than four lakh household tap connections, raising the possibility of a wider disruption to essential municipal services across the capital.
Bhopal Municipal Corporation official Ramprakash Ahirwar said discussions were continuing and stressed that the issue was not limited to Bhopal. He expressed hope that the disruption to urban services would be resolved soon. No breakthrough had been reported after the second meeting with senior officials on Thursday morning.
The next developments are expected to depend on further talks between the workers’ unions and the state’s Urban Administration and Development Department, as the unions press for government intervention and continuation of their indefinite agitation.
