Ambattur, Anna Nagar zones SHG workers' contract extended by 6 months
In Ambattur, 1,457 SHG cleanliness workers operate across 13 wards, clearing about 885 metric tonnes of waste each day and maintaining 35 interior roads along with 3,439 other streets.
Greater Chennai Corporation (Photo: Hemanathan M)
CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has passed a resolution to extend the contracts of temporary workers hired through Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the Anna Nagar and Ambattur zones by six months, allocating Rs 24.56 crore for the extension.
In Ambattur, 1,457 SHG cleanliness workers operate across 13 wards, clearing about 885 metric tonnes of waste each day and maintaining 35 interior roads along with 3,439 other streets. The civic body has earmarked Rs 19.96 crore for their wages. Their current contracts end on October 15, 2025, and will be extended from October 16, 2025, to April 15, 2026, with a daily wage of Rs 753.
In Anna Nagar, 342 workers, including 252 Battery Operated Vehicle (BOV) operators working night shifts, will continue under a Rs 4.5-crore allocation. Their services will begin on October 3, 2025.
An SHG worker in Anna Nagar said the extension offered relief but added that "securing a permanent job under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) feels like a dream. My daily salary of Rs 753 is insufficient. With Deepavali approaching, a dearness allowance would help."
Earlier, from August 1, NULM workers in Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar staged a protest outside Ripon Building after solid-waste management was handed to Chennai Enviro Solutions Private Limited. Several protesters were detained on August 13.
During those demonstrations, THE GCC officials assured workers that cleaning operations in Tondiarpet, Ambattur and Anna Nagar would not be outsourced. As a result, the corporation extended the Ambattur contracts. However, the revised wage of Rs 789, which includes dearness allowance, has been pending since April 2025, according to P Srinivasalu of the Madras Red Flag Union.
