The BBMP has promised to pay the pending salaries of all pourakarmikas within three days. It has also asked zonal commissioners to provide them with safety gear by next week. These measures were taken following a protest by pourakarmikas on Tuesday.
Clifton D’Rozario of BBMP Guttige Purakarmikara Sangha said despite the civic body starting direct payment to pourakarmikas from January 1, 2018, nearly 4,000 of them have not been paid for months.
While opting for direct payment to pourakarmikas, the civic body fixed the ratio of pourakarmika to population at 700:1 limiting the total strength to around 18,000. However, even this is not being followed on the ground, alleged the union. “At the ward level, pourakarmikas are being paid based on a ‘micro plan’. For instance in Koramangala, there are 160 genuine pourakarmikas working from many years. But now, according to the micro plan this has reduced to less than half,” Mr. D’Rozario said, adding they will not let the civic body fire any genuine worker.
