Madras HC allows four Chennai sanitary staff to go on indefinite fast

CHENNAI: The Madras High court has granted permission to sanitary workers of Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to hold indefinite fast, but with certain conditions including only four workers will be allowed to protest at a time, confining the stir within the four walls of the office of Uzhaippor Urimai Iyakkam at Ambattur in Chennai, and not allowing more than 50 persons to visit them. Justice AD Jagadish Chandira passed the orders on Friday in this regard on the petition filed by E Mohan, treasurer of the union, following an undertaking given by the petitioner for holding a peaceful protest at their office. Only the four named persons - Jenova, Bharathi, Geetha and Vasanthi - are permitted to observe the indefinite fast, and in case any one of them withdraws from the stir, other members can substitute them but the numbers shall not exceed four, the judge said in the order. The other conditions include only 50 persons shall visit the protesters, no temporary structure like pandhal or shamiana and chairs shall be put up outside the unions office, there shall not be any disturbance to the residents in the neighborhood and they shall allow a government doctor to check the health condition of the protesters twice a day. The judge also directed the petitioner to submit an affidavit to the Ambattur police inspector on complying with the above conditions. The resumption of the protest on Saturday coincides with Chief Minister MK Stalins inauguration of the free one-meal-a-day scheme for sanitary workers scheduled for the same day. Meanwhile, K Bharathi, president of Uzhaippor Urimai Iyakkam, which is spearheading the protest, said, The strike will continue until the government reinstates the workers under GCC. He added, The continued protest by the workers has prompted the government to announce several welfare schemes, including the free one-meal-a-day programme and housing benefits for sanitary workers. While these initiatives are welcome, the private contractor should be made responsible for providing meals, as the welfare of their employees is their responsibility, he said, adding ensuring minimum wages for workers remains a gap in many districts, including many zones in Chennai.