Hundreds of pourakarmikas from all eight zones of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) staged a protest on Tuesday demanding regularisation of services. Around 18,000 pourakarmikas had been assured of this by the State government in June 2017.
Nirmala M. of the BBMP Pourakarmikara Sangha said several criteria required for regularisation, such as having minimum qualification of up to SSLC, were unreasonable. “Not everyone is educated and many people have been working for years without this qualification. Where should they go and what should they do?” she asked.
BBMP Commissioner B.H. Anil Kumar spoke to the protesters and said the civic body would write to the State government requesting regularisation of services of all 18,000 pourakarmikas. Earlier, the BBMP had called for online applications for regularisation of services of 4,000 pourakarmikas.
Mr. Kumar also assured them that the civic body would seek permission from the government to increase the age limit from 45 to 55 years and remove the condition of educational qualification. The BBMP will set up help desks in every Assembly constituency for pourakarmikas to apply for regularisation with the assistance of civic officials, he said.
