Bengaluru: The BBMP monthly council meeting on Wednesday turned chaotic over regularising the services of pourakarmikas on contract. As soon the council met, leader of opposition Padmanabha Reddy demanded that 32,000 contract pourakarmikas be regularised.
But BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad said that the BBMP can absorb only 8,000 civic workers at the moment.
“We have 32,000 pourakarmikas working on contract basis. According to the new rule by the state government, there will be one pourakarmika for every 700 citizens. If this rule becomes a reality, half of pourakarmikas will be rendered jobless,” Mr Reddy contended.
He warned that the city cannot be kept clean with such small numbers. “The new rule should not be encouraged" he said.
Expressing his helplessness, Mr Manjunath Prasad said that all the contract PKs cannot be regularised and that was according to a government order, he said.
“According to the government order, we can absorb only 8,000 pourakarmikas at the moment," he said and added that he will bring the issue to the attention of the state government.
To pacify the protesting BJP councillors, Mayor Padmavathi maintained that PKs will be absorbed on seniority basis.
