Alwar/Jaipur, Aug 12: Rajasthan Forest Minister Sanjay Sharma on Wednesday staged a dharna alongside sanitation workers at the Alwar Municipal Corporation to press for the issuance of appointment letters that, he said, have been delayed for more than a year.
Minister pins blame on district, civic officials
Sharma accused the Alwar district collector and the municipal commissioner of obstructing the process. He said he would remain at the protest site until the authorities issued the appointment letters to the affected workers.
According to the minister, the matter traces back to a Rajasthan High Court direction issued last year which ordered the municipal corporation to issue appointment letters to sanitation workers recruited during the 2012 recruitment drive. Following the court order, the corporation reportedly sought advice from the director of the local self-government department and engaged in months of correspondence with officials, Sharma said.
Numbers and status
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Recruitment drive | 2012 |
| Candidates about to be issued letters | 69 |
| Delay | More than one year since decision to issue letters |
| Judicial direction | Rajasthan High Court order last year |
Allegations of discrimination and administrative inaction
Sharma said members of the Valmiki community had complained that they were being denied appointment letters. He told reporters that efforts to resolve the issue through the collector met with what he described as a negative and adamant attitude, prompting his decision to sit with the workers.
“I spoke to the district collector, but her attitude was surprisingly negative. She appeared to be adamant and not in the mood to dispose of the matter. So, I came to the corporation office and sat on dharna with the workers,”
The minister also said he had communicated the matter to the Chief Minister’s Office.
Opposition reaction
The development drew sharp criticism from the state Congress. Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra described the scene of a BJP minister protesting against his own administration as indicative of systemic corruption and administrative failure in the state.
Dotasra said the minister’s action — staging a dharna against the district collector and municipal commissioner — raised “serious questions” about governance under the BJP government and suggested the extent of alleged malpractice was worrying.
Officials silent
Collector Artika Shukla was not available for comment, according to the reporting.
Local impact and broader context
The dispute centres on long-pending regularisation and issuance of formal appointment letters for sanitation staff, a recurring issue in municipal administrations where recruitment drives and subsequent documentation or regularisation are often prolonged by procedural and inter-departmental delays. For the workers involved, lack of appointment letters can affect salary disbursement, seniority, benefits and job security.
In Alwar — a district with a mix of urban municipal challenges and rural peripheries — sanitation workers perform essential services that have direct bearing on public health and urban sanitation outcomes. Delays in formalising their employment status can therefore have immediate implications for service continuity and staff morale.
- Immediate demand: Issuance of appointment letters to the 69 candidates identified as ready for formalisation.
- Administrative responsibility: Allegations are directed at the district collector and municipal commissioner for inaction.
- Political fallout: Opposition has framed the episode as symptomatic of broader governance issues.
The episode is likely to keep the issue in the public eye until the municipal corporation responds formally or the state administration intervenes. With a minister visibly protesting at a civic office, the matter is expected to draw further scrutiny from political quarters and civil society in Alwar.
Reporting for Rajasthan from the region, the matter remains under active development as officials and the municipal corporation have yet to issue a detailed public response.
