Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): More than 1,000 daily wage employees of Bhopal Municipal Corporation staged a protest on Friday after being paid salary for only 15 days. Worker unions submitted a memorandum to Municipal Commissioner Sanskriti Jain, calling wage cut “unjust and demoralising”.
Union leader Anil Shravan said crisis began after civic body introduced an AI-based face recognition attendance system on October 16. He said most sanitation workers do not own smartphones, making digital attendance difficult.
“We worked every day, but many were marked absent by system. Now salaries have been paid for 15 days instead of a full month,” Shravan alleged.
Face recognition attendance was rolled out across municipal bodies in Madhya Pradesh, beginning with Bhopal. Unions said lack of handholding, devices and proper verification has led to mass attendance errors and pay gaps. They argued that it disregards realities of sanitation staff who keep city clean on ground every day.
A union delegation reached BMC headquarters on Friday seeking a meeting with Commissioner Jain. With commissioner in prior meetings, memorandum was submitted at her office.
Workers have warned that non-release of full salaries will lead to a work stoppage strike, a move that could disrupt sanitation services and impact preparations for Swachh Sarvekshan 2025.
