JOIN USPourakarmikas boycott work, take out rally
Pourakarmikas serving in different wards of the city, boycotted work and staged a demonstration demanding the dismissal of BJP Corporator of Ward No 21, Nandish Preetham from the council. The protesters who gathered in front of Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), took out a rally from MCC to Deputy Commissioner’s office and raised slogans against the Corporator.
They alleged that pourakarmikas were regularly being harassed by corporators. Nandish had repeatedly harassed Suresh, a contract pourakarmika who was terminated from service, which forced Suresh to attempt suicide. Therefore, action should be initiated against the Corporator, they demanded.
They also urged the authorities concerned to put an end to the trend of corporators using pourakarmikas for their household chores. Such corporators should be penalised and dismissed from the council, they said.
Owing to the protest, cleaning activities of the city took a hit, as the pourakarmikas boycotted work en masse. N Mara, president of Mysuru Nagarapalike Pourakarmikara Sangha said that the pourakarmikas would return to work on Tuesday, but would boycott cleaning activities in Ward No 21, represented by Nandish, until their demands were met.
He said that there had been repeated complaints against the Corporator, who had continued to harass pourakarmikas regularly.
Impact
Dr Ramachandra, Health Officer of MCC said that the stir had “slightly” affected cleaning activities in the city. “However, the problem has now been sorted out and pourakarmikas would return to work on Tuesday,” he said.
To a question, he said that MCC had used permanent pourakarmikas to take up cleaning from places where complaints had been received during the day.
It can be recalled that Suresh had consumed poison in front of other pourakarmikas on Saturday, blaming Nandish for harassing and dismissing him from service.
However, the Corporator had denied the allegations levelled against him.
A case has been registered against Nandish at Saraswathipuram police station on Sunday, in this regard.