Sanitation Workers Storm Collectorate with Brooms in Ashoknagar, Protest Over Online Attendance and Salary Cuts

Ashoknagar (Madhya Pradesh): Online attendance has turned into a major hurdle for temporary sanitation workers in Ashoknagar, leading to significant salary deductions. On Thursday afternoon, more than three dozen sanitation workers marched to the Collectorate carrying their brooms, creating a dramatic scene and demanding an immediate meeting with the District Collector.

Salary Halved Due to Attendance Glitches

Under the newly implemented online attendance system, workers are required to mark their presence through thumb impressions and facial recognition. However, frequent technical glitches have prevented many workers from registering their attendance. As a result, several temporary employees received only half of their monthly wages—₹4,000 instead of ₹8,000.

A sanitation worker, Kusum Bai, expressed her frustration:
“I have been reporting to duty regularly for a month. Sometimes the thumbprint doesn’t match, sometimes the system fails to record attendance. I have signed the manual register, yet half my salary has been cut.”

Brooms Placed Inside the Office in Protest

Workers placed their brooms inside the Collectorate office as a symbolic protest and insisted on meeting the Collector. They submitted a memorandum detailing their grievances and refused to leave until their voices were heard.

Municipality Officials Step In

Municipality officials soon arrived at the Collectorate to pacify the agitating workers. Later, the employees met Nagar Palika Chairman Neeraj Manoriya, who assured them of a fair investigation into the issue.
He promised that all workers who have genuinely completed their duties and suffered salary cuts due to technical faults would be given their full wages.

Families Struggling Due to Delayed Payments

Several workers highlighted that delays and cuts in salaries are affecting their families’ daily living. Many have loans to repay, while others struggle to meet basic household expenses with their drastically reduced income.

A Cry for Administrative Reform

The protest in Ashoknagar underscores the urgency for authorities to resolve the flaws in the online attendance system. Workers demand that the system be made reliable—or that an alternative method be introduced—to ensure timely and fair payment for their hard work.