Mysuru:  With just a week left for the formal inauguration of Dasara festivities, over 1,500 pourakarmikas of city, led by former Mayor Narayana, who is also the President of Karnataka State Corporation, City Municipal and Town Municipal Pourakarmikas Maha Sabha, began an indefinite strike by staging a dharna in front of Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Office on Sayyaji Rao Road this morning.

The Pourakarmikas have refrained from cleaning the city and also collecting garbage from houses at all 65 Wards today and would continue the stir till their demands were met. They are sitting in a protest under a pandal on footpath in front of MCC, shouting slogans against the State Government, District Administration, District Minister and MCC officials for neglecting them.

Meanwhile, Narayana alleged that the State Government, in its Cabinet meeting had decided to make Pourakarmikas working on contract basis permanent, which is not yet been implemented. Besides, the breakfast scheme for Pourakarmikas floated by the MCC about six months ago is yet to take off.

Former Mayor Narayana said “We protested on Sept. 19 to warn the State Government and had given 15 days time to consider our demands which was not met. Even the District Minister, District Administration and the MCC did not bother to speak to us or hold a meeting which shows how much we are neglected despite we making efforts to keep the city clean.”

Narayana further said that till the government issues an order, none of the pourakarmikas will undertake cleaning works in city and added that if anything goes wrong during Dasara festivities, it is the State Government and the District Administration, who should be held responsible.

Meanwhile, garbage on all important roads in city was left uncleared and even door-to-door garbage was not collected today.

Their demands include: Regularising contract workers as permanent staff, to consider UGD contract workers as pourakarmikas and make them permanent, to provide a bonus of Rs. 20,000 on Ambedkar Jayanti as being done in BBMP, to provide 30 days salary in a year for workin0g during holidays as being done in the Police Department and to withdraw the unscientific order which states one pourakarmika to 700 people.