Garbage piles up in Gurugram after mass exodus of workers: ‘A collapse years in making'

Mint

5 days ago

Gurugram's waste management system is nearing collapse after a mass exodus of domestic and sanitation workers, allegedly driven by a police verification and detention drive targeting suspected illegal immigrants. With hundreds of informal workers fleeing the city in recent days, the fallout has been swift: door-to-door waste collection has halted across several sectors, streets are overflowing with unsegregated garbage, and housing societies are scrambling to manage trash with ad hoc arrangements.
The panic is palpable, with residents and activists attributing the mass exodus to a wave of detentions reportedly targeting Bengali-speaking informal workers. From Sectors 103 and 57 to Palam Vihar, Golf Course Extension Road, and Gurugram-Faridabad Road, mounds of waste line the streets, raising fears of a looming public health emergency. Civic volunteers and residents say the absence of trained sanitation staff has left them no option but to hire tractor-trolleys for waste disposal - often leading to indiscriminate dumping without segregation.
'They didn't even inform us. Many just vanished overnight out of fear,' Richa Vohra, a waste volunteer from Sector 57 told HT.
Between July 13 and 21, at least 100 individuals - many employed as house helps or garbage collectors - were allegedly detained by police. According to residents, five were later released after reportedly being told to board trains to Assam. The status of the others remains unclear. Families say most of those detained are Indian citizens, some of whom have lived in Gurugram for over five years.
'They were not even allowed to go home and fetch their Aadhaar cards. The police just dragged them into vans,' a relative of 45-year-old garbage collector Anwar Hussain was quoted as saying by HT.
Activists and experts argue the situation is a direct result of systemic negligence by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG). 'Gurgaon's waste services have catastrophically failed,' said Ruchika Sethi Takkar, founder of Citizens for Clean Air. 'MCG's disregard for SWM Rules 2016 and failure to institutionalise waste workers has brought the system to its knees.'
Takkar said citizen groups have already submitted a representation to MCG and the deputy commissioner, demanding an emergency contingency plan that includes temporary dry waste depots, immediate public communication, and interim collection arrangements.
'This is not a sudden crisis,' said waste management expert Kusum Sharma. 'This is a collapse years in the making. Had MCG followed SWM norms—created dry waste centres, enforced source segregation, and integrated informal workers—this situation could have been averted. Now, the city is entirely dependent on a workforce that is being criminalised.'
While citizens struggle to bridge the gap, officials have remained largely silent until now. MCG Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya admitted the city's operations had been hit hard. 'Most of the drivers and waste collectors are migratory workers, and their going away will affect our operations. We're working with senior officials and the chief minister to find alternatives and minimise disruption,' he said.
But activists say the crisis extends beyond civic breakdown. 'This isn't just about garbage,' said Takkar. 'It's about the collapse of the invisible economy that keeps the city running. Without a humanitarian plan, the infrastructure will collapse.'
In Palam Vihar and other sectors, residents report migrants approaching them for help, fearing harassment despite having valid documentation. 'They're being targeted for their identity,' said one resident. 'Even those with ration cards and Aadhaar are being treated like criminals. This is inhuman.'
Rahul Khera, a Sector 54 resident and social sector expert, noted that although four new private agencies have been hired by the MCG, 'regardless of who's collecting the waste, it's migrant labour doing the job. They make up 100% of the city's frontline waste workforce. If they leave, this city will shut down.'
He stressed the need for reforms but condemned the current approach. 'Even immigrants with valid documentation are afraid. This isn't governance—it's fear mongering.'
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Dr Arpit Jain said the verification drive was being conducted per Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines, with a focus on suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
'Details of any suspect are sent to the home secretary, district magistrate, or deputy commissioner of the concerned state for verification. If the report is negative, we initiate deportation proceedings with help from the central government, after placing the individual in a holding area. If the report confirms Indian citizenship, the person is released,' Jain said.
He confirmed that even those with Aadhaar and other documents are being held temporarily until their credentials are verified by state authorities. 'We are ensuring that no genuine citizen faces unnecessary harassment.'
However, police have refused to disclose the locations of the four holding centres or the number of individuals currently detained or deported, citing security reasons.