Seeking to remind the Congress party of its pre-poll promise to regularize the jobs of pourakarmikas, the Karnataka State Local Bodies’ Pourakarmikas Association has called upon Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to regularize the services of all pourakarmikas, loaders, cleaners, drivers and under-ground drainage (UGD) workers simultaneously.
Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Friday, association president Narayan, who is also a former Mayor of Mysuru, said there were a total of 41,373 pourakarmikas in BBMP, ten City Corporations, City Municipal Councils, Town Municipalities and Gram Panchayats across the State, besides 11,800 loaders, cleaners, drivers and 544 UGD workers, totaling 53,173 workers.
When the pourakarmikas embarked upon a state-wide agitation on July 1, 2022, the then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai gave a written assurance to regularize the services of all the pourakarmikas, who had been receiving direct payment of wages from local bodies, and bring all cleaners, loaders and drivers, who were on contract, under the Direct Payment System (DPS).
