What began as an agitation by sanitation workers over service-related demands has now snowballed into a political battle, exposing fault lines within worker unions and threatening to derail the Punjab Government’s flagship cleanliness campaign in urban local bodies.

The strike, which has affected garbage collection in several towns across the state, took a dramatic turn in Nangal town of Ropar district on Tuesday when rival groups of sanitation workers, allegedly aligned with different political camps, clashed over the clearing of garbage.

Sources said sanitation workers had become divided into two distinct factions. One group, allegedly backed by Congress-affiliated leaders, has been spearheading the strike and insisting that no sanitation work should be carried out until the government accepts their demands. The rival faction has refused to participate in the agitation.

The confrontation erupted near the vegetable market in Nangal, where heaps of garbage had accumulated over the past several days. According to sources, members of the sanitation workers group which was not participating in strike group arrived in the morning to remove the waste. Their attempt was allegedly resisted by the striking workers, resulting in a heated exchange that soon escalated into a physical scuffle.

The incident has highlighted the growing political undercurrents within the agitation. Sources claimed that the dispute was less about sanitation work and more about demonstrating which faction enjoys greater support among municipal employees.

Following the clash, sanitation workers who had continued working submitted a complaint to the Executive Officer of the Nangal Municipal Council, alleging that they were being prevented from discharging their duties.

Municipal officials are understood to be considering forwarding the complaint to the police for legal action.

The political overtones of the strike have become increasingly evident as the agitation has coincided with the state government’s statewide sanitation drive launched after the recent municipal body elections. The campaign, intended to showcase improved civic administration under the AAP government, has instead been overshadowed by overflowing garbage dumps in several towns.

The agitating workers are demanding regularisation of contractual employees, abolition of the outsourcing system, better wages, timely release of salaries, implementation of service benefits and filling of vacant posts. While these demands have remained unchanged for years, the manner in which the agitation has unfolded has provided fresh ammunition to political parties seeking to target each other.

Garbage has piled up in several urban centres, with residents complaining of foul smell and deteriorating sanitary conditions.

Local Bodies and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains sought to downplay the crisis, asserting that sanitation work was proceeding normally in most urban local bodies.

“Sanitation work is going on normally in most urban bodies of the state. Only a handful of sanitation workers owing allegiance to a particular faction are continuing the strike. We are in talks with them, and all sanitation workers will return to work soon,” Bains said.

With worker unions now appearing to be split along political lines and rival factions openly confronting each other, the sanitation strike has evolved beyond a labour dispute into a test of political influence within the state’s municipal workforce. As negotiations continue, the state government faces the challenge of not only resolving worker demands but also containing a politically charged confrontation that is increasingly playing out on the streets rather than at the negotiating table.