Bengaluru Faces Garbage Crisis as Auto Drivers, Waste Collectors Announce Hunger Strike from June 24

News Flash

17 June

Civic Chaos Looms Over City as Sanitation Workers Demand Direct Salaries, Protest Against ₹530 Cr Garbage Tender Handed to Contractors

Bengaluru: The City is staring at a major sanitation crisis as auto drivers and helpers responsible for door-to-door garbage collection have announced a complete halt of services from June 24. The protest, led by the Karnataka Sanrakshana Trade Union, includes a hunger strike demanding regularisation of jobs and cancellation of the ₹530 crore garbage disposal tender awarded to private contractors.

The waste collectors allege that despite earlier assurances by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, the promise to provide direct salary payments to them has not been fulfilled. Instead, the Bangalore Solid Waste Management Company (BSWMC) has floated a massive tender that, once again, outsources the work to private contractors.

“This move pushes thousands of garbage auto and compactor drivers, and helpers back into the clutches of contractors. We demand immediate cancellation of this tender and insist on a direct employment model,” said Thyagaraj, President of the Karnataka Sanrakshana Trade Union.

The ₹530 crore annual tender, meant for the city’s garbage collection and disposal, has triggered widespread anger among frontline sanitation workers who feel betrayed after years of essential public service.

“The government made a promise. Now, by handing over operations to contractors, they are ignoring our dignity and livelihood. This fight is for justice,” added another union leader during a press briefing.

The June 24 protest is expected to paralyze garbage collection across Bengaluru and may affect other cities in Karnataka as solidarity builds among sanitation workers. Protesters will gather at Freedom Park and refuse to resume duties unless their demands are met, union leaders confirmed.

The movement also questions the transparency and necessity of outsourcing such an essential civic task, calling instead for the institutionalisation of waste workers as permanent staff under the municipal system.

Civic activists have warned of serious health hazards and environmental impact if garbage piles up across the city. They have urged the government to intervene immediately and hold fresh consultations with workers’ unions.