Pourakarmikas had staged a protest in front of the BBMP head office earlier this week demanding regularisation of jobs.
| Photo Credit: File Photo
After much deliberation, the Basavaraj Bommai-led State government on Thursday issued an order to give permanent job status to 11,307 pourakarmikas who are working under the Direct Payment System (DPS) in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Earlier this week, pourakarmikas had staged a protest in front of the BBMP head office demanding regularisation of jobs.
Although there were only around 3,600 sanctioned permanent posts before, the new order states that supernumerary posts should be created to accommodate the remaining 11,307 sanitation workers. After massive protests in July 2022 demanding that all the 15,000 DPS employees should be made permanent, Mr. Bommai had given a written assurance that the jobs of all the pourakarmikas would be regularised. However, in September last year, a government draft proposed that jobs of only 3,673 pourakarmikas should be made permanent.
The order comes ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections for which the government is trying to woo all sections of society. It also has to be noted that the new order came on the same day when an announcement was made in the BBMP Budget that while jobs of 3,673 DPS employees working in solid waste management were made permanent, the remaining 11,710 workers would also be recruited as permanent employees soon.
However, the BBMP Pourkarmikara Sangha is not entirely happy with the order as it has excluded drivers and helpers. “This entire process has happened only through the struggle of the pourakarmikas. This order also came only after their protests on Monday and Tuesday even though it should have been passed in September 2022 itself,” said Maitreyi Krishnan of the sangha.
“The primary demand was that all pourakarmikas should be made permanent employees and yet drivers and helpers will still be under contract basis. They should also be given permanent jobs. The Chief Minister had assured in July 2022 about housing, medical, and other facilities for the workers which should also be provided,” she added. She said that the regularisation process should be conducted smoothly with no room for bribe or corruption.
The order also states that supernumerary posts should be created for 132 pourakarmikas under CMC, TMC, and PPs and also for 1,433 workers under the city corporation.
