JOIN USBruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike officers connived with the garbage contractors and siphoned off Rs 384 crore of Provident Fund (PF) and Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) money of the pourakarmikas (sanitation workers) instead of depositing it.
In a letter to the chief minister Siddaramaiah, the Karnataka State Commission for Safai Karmacharis chairman Narayana has alleged gross irregularities in providing the ESI and PF benefits to the pourakarmikas between 2005 and 2015.
“These pourakarmikas work in adverse conditions. Besides cleaning toilets, they also spend their day in dust, which impacts their health. As a result, the lifespan of many pourakarmikas is between 35 years and 45 years,” said Narayana in his letter to the chief minister.
“The fraud totals to more than Rs 550 crore of which a whopping Rs 384 crore is towards ESI and PF contributions,” the letter says.
A senior BBMP officer said that charges were baseless as the Palike was taking care of the ESI and PF benefits. He said they were in the process of depositing the salaries directly into the bank accounts of pourakarmikas. Many contractors who created bogus muster roll were penalised heftily, he added.