After pourakarmikas get permanent jobs, BBMP braces for budget spike of Rs 300 cr

Bengaluru: Come May 1, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is all set to promote around 12,699 pourakarmikas — who are responsible for keeping the city’s streets clean — as its permanent employees.

This historic decision, which follows a relentless fight, is expected to shoot up the administrative cost by around Rs 300 crore annually.

The zone-wise list of pourakarmikas whose jobs have been regularised has been made public on the BBMP’s website. They were selected based on their seniority among the 16,000-strong workforce, who have been part of the BBMP as temporary workers. So far, they were being paid through the Direct Payment System (DPS).

Initially, the civic body had proposed to regularise about 11,307 workers, but increased the number to accommodate its earlier promises. These workers will now come under the monthly pay scale of Rs 17,000 to Rs 28,950, excluding other benefits. The recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission will also apply to these workers.

Nirmala M, president of the forum of pourakarmikas, said it would take five to six months to fully complete the process of regularisation. “The BBMP has completed the selection process, but it plans to issue the regularisation certificate only after completing the verification process,” she said.

In its budget for 2025–26, the BBMP has estimated that the cost towards payment of salaries to officers and staff will go up from Rs 75 crore to Rs 365 crore. The increase is attributed to regularising the services of pourakarmikas. The civic body has also increased the allocation towards allowances and benefits to officers and staff from Rs 60 crore to Rs 184 crore.

It estimates that the salary bill for outsourced pourakarmikas will come down from Rs 325 crore to Rs 105 crore. This is because about 3,500 workers will continue to be employed as temporary staff due to lack of seniority.