The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday granted a stay on the notification issued by the state government which had restrained the pourakarmikas and sanitary workers from going on strike.

Justice A S Bopanna was hearing a petition by S N Balasubramaniam and nine other garbage contractors who had moved the court seeking quashing of the notification issued by the state government.

According to the petitioners, the provision of ESMA has been misused to violate the law enacted by the Centre and more particularly the Environment Protection Act and the Solid Waste Management Rules.

They also stated that for the last three years, the payments of pourakarmikas have not been revised in keeping with the inflation.