Bengaluru's highest taxpayers take on Palike, fight for pourakarmikas

Standing together with the city's sanitation workers, Whitefield residents on Thursday demanded that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike pay the wages of pourakarmikas in Mahadevapura constituency.

They claimed that pourakarmikas, along with workers of mechanical sweeping machines and dry waste collection centres, have not been paid for the past three months.

"If pourakarmikas are not paid, as many as 43,000 households in the locality will be affected. Being one of the highest tax-paying constituencies, we are given the poorest of services," said a solid waste management volunteer, who is also a member of Whitefield Rising, a residents' group.

Cold-shoulder treatment

However, BBMP zonal officers gave the residents a cold-shoulder, despite them turning up amid a busy work calendar.

"They knew we're coming today," said the volunteer. "Yet, none of them were present at the office and are giving reasons for their absence."

Despite setting up biometrics and the direct payment system to regularise pourakarmikas, the BBMP has not disbursed their wages for the third straight month. "We've followed the movement of every single file. It is now stuck with the assistant executive engineer," the volunteer said.

When contacted, Assistant Executive Engineer Narasimha Rao said the process to verify the pourakarmikas is taking time. "We're prioritising payment for pourakarmikas, according to their seniority," he said. The process is facing further delays since we have to handle both Mahadevapura and KR Puram constituencies, and are short-staffed."

Residents said mechanical sweeping machine operators in the zone are also unpaid and the dry waste collection centre is in a dreadful condition.