• Waste piles up on road sides
• CM holding conciliatory meeting

Mysore/Mysuru: If you are wondering why most parts of Mysuru city are stinking with mounds of garbage on the streets and garbage bins, the simple reason is that the Pourakarmikas are on an indefinite strike.

Garbage has been piling up as the indefinite Statewide strike by contract sanitation workers, who are seeking regularisation of their services among other demands, entered the fourth day today.

Though the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) pressed some of its regular Pourakarmikas and vehicles to collect solid waste in the last two days, their number is too less when compared to the amount of waste generated in the city. There are over 2,600 Pourakarmikas in the MCC and of them, only 530 are on the MCC rolls.

The city generates over 280 tonnes of garbage daily. Heaps of garbage at the inside and outer areas of Devaraja Market, K.R. Circle, Vani Vilas Market, Boti Bazaar and other markets are posing a health risk along with the garbage piled up in the residential localities.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Safai Karamchari Commission Chairman M. Shivanna has expressed hope that the workers might end their strike on Monday, July 4 as another round of talks with the Government is scheduled in Bengaluru with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai at 12 noon. Pourakarmika leaders N. Mara, Srinivas and Shivanna will be a part of the meeting with the CM and the delegation is led by former Mayor Narayan.

Though the CM had talks with Pourakarmika union leaders earlier, the workers are insisting that the CM must give his assurances in writing. If things don’t go well in the meeting, chances are that the protest may go on beyond Monday.

No door-to-door garbage collection

Waste generated by hotels and restaurants is being cleared by the permanent Pourakarmikas while the wet waste generated at houses and apartments continued to pile up. As there is no door-to-door garbage collection, the residents are indiscriminately throwing garbage by the side of roads.

The striking workers include contractual workers, outsourced Pourakarmikas, direct payment workers, house-to-house garbage collectors, vehicle drivers and also UGD workers.

As part of the strike, the contractual workers are meeting the permanent Pourakarmikas and convincing them to join the strike. Over 150 bikes have been lined up by the contract workers to meet permanent Pourakarmikas at all the 65 wards of the MCC. Pamphlets are being given to the permanent Pourakarmikas seeking their support.

Pourakarmikas are demanding a one-point agenda that all categories of cleanliness workers, irrespective of the kind of work they do, be treated as Pourakarmikas and their employment is regularised.  They are demanding a retirement benefit of Rs. 10 lakh and a pension of Rs. 5,000 for the workers, as well as healthcare and employment for the dependents. Other main demands include housing, free education for their children, equal pay for equal work and a dignified work environment.

Bulk waste being picked up

“We have found that some of the permanent Pourakarmikas too have joined the strike and we have asked them to report back to work. Today we have sent over 150 autos across the city to collect garbage. The huge mounds of waste are being picked up in bulk by earth movers and backhoes (JCB). We will further make more arrangements to clear the garbage heaps,”  said G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, Commissioner, Mysuru City Corporation.