Civic workers end strike, govt promises to fulfil demands

Pourakarmikas on Tuesday called off their state-wide strike after Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya and Municipal Administration Minister Eshwar Khandre assured them that their demands would be met.

However, the Karnataka Pourakarmikara Mahasangha said they have only postponed their agitation and would resume it after June 20 if their demands are not met.

Addressing the pourakarmikas at Bannappa Park near the BBMP head office, Anjaneya said the decision to regularise pourakarmikas will be taken at a meeting chaired by the chief minister on June 20. He said the government will also consider extending the benefits of ‘Arogya Sanjivini’ scheme to all pourakarmikas and sanction Rs 6.5 lakh to each one of them to construct a house. A forum ‘Pourakarmikara Shoshane Mukta Sangha’ will be created to prevent their exploitation.

“We assure you that hiring pourakarmikas on contract will be abolished. We will regularise 10,000 pourakarmikas. We will ensure that there is direct transfer of salaries through RTGS,” the minister told the gathering.

In his address, Khandre hailed the pourakarmikas and called them flag-bearers of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

The civic workers started their indefinite strike on Monday demanding their regularisation and payment of their salaries directly into their accounts through RTGS instead of involving contractors or middlemen. The protesters spent the night under the pandal. By morning, the number swelled. Due to the agitation, traffic was disrupted on the busy Kempegowda Road. A large number of policemen were deployed to ensure law and order at the venue.

After calling off the strike, Rajya Guttige Pourakarmikara Sangha president Narayan wanted to take out a rally of more than 6,000 civic workers from Bannappa Park to the BBMP head office as a token of gratitude but on the directions of the police, the plan was dropped.