Chennai, Sept 4:
Tamil Nadu Ministers on Friday assured protesting sanitation workers that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government would not abandon them and would take steps to address their long-pending demands, including permanent employment and higher wages.
The assurance came during a meeting between the ministers and sanitation workers who have been staging a protest outside the Ripon Building in Chennai for more than 15 days. Ministers Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, Rajmohan and Nirmal Kumar met the protesters and held discussions on their demands.
The workers have been pressing the government for regularisation of their employment, better wages and improved service conditions. Their prolonged protest has drawn attention to the working and economic conditions of sanitation workers, who play a crucial role in maintaining cleanliness in the city.
During the interaction, Minister Anand told the protesters that the government understood their expectations and would work towards fulfilling their demands.
He said the workers had welcomed the ministers with smiles despite having staged protests for several days and expressed confidence that Chief Minister Vijay would respond positively to their grievances.
Referring to the financial position of the government, Anand said the previous administration had left the State treasury depleted. He said the government would generate revenue through people’s tax contributions and use the resources to fulfil the genuine demands of sanitation workers.
“We will do everything for sanitation workers who welcomed us with smiling faces,” he assured them.
Minister Nirmal Kumar told the protesters that they should consider the government as their own and assured them that the administration would stand by them.
“This is your government. If we do not do something for sanitation workers, for whom should we do it?” he asked, while appealing to them not to lose heart.
He further said the TVK government had been formed to work for people such as sanitation workers and would take steps to address their concerns.
Minister Rajmohan praised the manner in which the workers had conducted their agitation. He said their protest had assumed the scale of a conference and appreciated them for maintaining what he described as “military discipline” during their 15-day agitation without causing inconvenience to the public.
Minister Aadhav Arjuna, meanwhile, sought more time from the protesters, pointing out that the TVK government had been in office for only around 100 days.
He said Chief Minister Vijay was deeply concerned about the continued presence of sanitation workers at the protest venue and that their agitation was weighing on him.