Bengalureans, brace yourself for some stink this monsoon: 6,000 BBMP garbage collectors begin indefinite strike
- 6,000 Pourakarmikas on indefinite strike in Bengaluru.
- Payments have been stuck for 2 months.
- Contract labourers fail to get ESI cards since they do not have documents.
FollowWith the onset of monsoon, Bangalore is gearing up not just to face bad and dug-up roads, but also stinking garbage, which has already been an issue with the city for months now. To top it all, 6,000 contract Pourakarmikas have threatened not to lift the garbage from Monday. In other words, they are on indefinite strike.
The garbage management crisis is stuck not just because of that, but also because of the residents of the Mittaganahalli and Kannur villages who have stopped garbage trucks from entering the quarries. On Monday, contract pourakarmikas struck work in several parts of the city, including central Bengaluru, Peenya, Malleswaram, Koramangala, Cox Town, Mahadevapura and a few other areas. Inside sources said that they will continue to strike unless their services are regularised as promised by the Siddaramaiah government in May 2016.
Speaking to The Hindu, a contract labourer said, "My payment for 2 months have been held back because the contractor said that the BBMP has not cleared funds. We want the word "contract" to be removed from our job titles". She further added, "We are at the mercy of the contractors. If we fall sick or have to visit our villages for some emergency, our wages are cut."
Some of them also complain of being denied documents, which prohibits them from getting ESI cards. There are also complains of pourakarmikas being treated as bonded labourers by the contractors. It is alleged that some of the contractors own lands here and they bring labourers from areas like Kalburagi and Raichur. They are given shelter in that land, but their ATM cards and passbooks are confiscated.
Meanwhile, BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad confirmed that it was in talks with the pourakarmikas union and that garbage segregation would not be affected. "Their demand is to do away with the contract system and to receive payments from the urban local bodies. This is a decision which needs to be implemented by the State government across all towns and cities in Karnataka," said Mr. Prasad.
Meanwhile, a resident of Kaggadaspura, Ramesh said, "the BBMP workers anyways are very irregular in our area. Now they are on strike. I really do not know what will happen. Look at the areas in front of Mayflower Garden and Sri Mitra Estates. Garbage has piled up for days now." Many like Ramesh worry about the same issue.
