Bengaluru: Taking note of the BBMP’s treatment of its pourakarmikas , holding back their salaries and other benefits for months and even years, a city voluntary group, Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) has launched a campaign to show its solidarity with the workers.
On Friday over 20 volunteers of the group gathered outside the BBMP Council Hall, while a meeting was underway inside, holding placards in support of the workers and meeting corporators and MLAs to resolve the issue.
“The civic body is taking them for granted and doing them a severe injustice by not paying them on time, holding back part of their salary and delaying payment of arrears. It is the duty of every citizen to stand by their pourakarmikas, and demand justice,” they said.
The councillors later reportedly assured the CfB volunteers that the issue was being discussed and they would soon arrive at a decision. Some , however, said there was not enough money to pay the pourakaramikas and others that the BBMP commissioner was in charge of the matter and not the elected representatives,
But not convinced, Ms Tara Krishnaswamy of CfB said, “They seem to find money magically for everything from pod taxis to white topping, but need months and years of discussions and passing the proverbial buck to clear the dues of pourakarmikas. It is a shame on Bengaluru that as we demand and get a more modern, dynamic city with all sorts of high- end facilities, our minimum wage workers who toil daily for Namma Bengaluru are not treated with the minimum dignity due to them!”
Mr Srinivas Alavilli of CfB didn’t think the BBMP was short of funds as former Mayor, Manjunath Reddy had informed it of making a record revenue collection this year.” Clearly, this is not an issue of lack of funds, but complete lack of empathy and accountability on the part of both politicians and officers concerned. The CfB wants all pending payments to PKs to be cleared within the next one week. There can be nothing more important for the civic body than this . The citizens will stand with the PKs as long as it takes to get this done," he declared.
