Haryana Govt Orders Sanitation Workers to Resume Work by September 5 or Face Action

September 4, 2026

Chandigarh: The Haryana government has taken a strict stand against the ongoing strike by sanitation workers employed by municipal bodies across the state, directing employees who have been absent from duty since August 6 to resume work by September 5 or face legal and departmental action.

The Urban Local Bodies Department has instructed Municipal Corporation Commissioners and District Municipal Commissioners to ensure strict implementation of the order.

The government has classified sanitation services as essential and stressed that cleanliness and sewerage arrangements in urban areas must continue without interruption.

Haryana govt warns striking sanitation workers

According to the government, several sanitation workers and sewer men have remained continuously absent from duty since the strike began on August 6.

Authorities have also alleged that sanitation equipment and machinery were damaged during the protests. FIRs have reportedly been registered against some striking employees in connection with the alleged incidents.

The government has warned that workers who fail to return to duty by the September 5 deadline could face legal as well as departmental action.

The department has also referred to an order issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on August 18, directing senior officials to ensure compliance with the court’s order and the government’s instructions.

Authorities have been asked to take all necessary steps to ensure that sanitation and sewerage services remain operational across urban areas.

Sanitation workers on strike since August 6

Sanitation workers have been on strike since August 6, raising several demands, including the regularisation of their services.

The prolonged strike has affected cleanliness in several areas, with garbage reportedly piling up at multiple locations.

The government has maintained that uninterrupted sanitation services are essential for public health and has therefore directed municipal authorities to ensure that workers return to their duties.

CM Saini says 12 demands accepted

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini recently told the Haryana Assembly that the state government was working to address the concerns of sanitation workers and had already accepted 12 of their demands.

On the workers’ demand for regularisation, Saini said the matter involved several legal issues and was being examined from a legal perspective.

The government has indicated that discussions on the remaining demands would continue while maintaining that essential civic services cannot be allowed to remain disrupted.

Opposition attacks Haryana government

The ongoing strike has also triggered criticism from the opposition.

Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda accused the BJP-led Haryana government and Chief Minister Saini of being indifferent to the demands of protesting sanitation workers.

Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal alleged that sanitation workers were facing police action at several locations during the protest.

INLD MLA Aditya Devi Lal also accused the BJP government of subjecting the protesting workers to “injustice and oppression”.

Congress MLAs had raised the issue during the monsoon session of the Haryana Assembly on September 1, demanding that the government accept the workers’ demands and take immediate steps to resolve the dispute.

With the September 5 deadline approaching, the government has made it clear that sanitation workers who continue to remain absent could face action, while municipal authorities have been directed to ensure that essential cleanliness and sewerage services continue across Haryana.