Pourakarmikas lay siege to BBMP head office

Bengaluru: Protesting against sexual harassment by contractors and BBMP's failure to take action, hundreds of contract pourakarmikas laid siege to the BBMP head office on Wednesday.

Pourakarmikas, represented by the BBMP Guttige Pourakarmikara Sangha affiliated to the AICCTU, said that the Palike has failed to take any action against the contractor who sexually assaulted civic workers when they sought their wages at K.R. Puram.

Mr Clifton D. Rozario of the Sangha said, “Though a complaint was filed with the BBMP Sexual Harassment Committee against the contractor, Nagesh, the civic body has not taken any action.”

He said that Nagesh, apart from sexually assaulting the workers, also confiscated their bank passbooks and ATM cards. He hurled caste abuses against PKs, who demanded their wages. He said that the K.R. Puram police have registered an FIR.  

“It is absolutely unacceptable that pourakarmikas are subjected to sexual harassment and violence. Criminal charges should be filed against the contractor and he should be blacklisted immediately. The root cause of the problem is the garbage contractor mafia, which thrives on massive transport contracts and fake bills. The BBMP should scrap the contract system and ensure every ward processes its garbage within the ward boundary" said Mr Srinivas Alavilli, coordinator, Citizens for Bengaluru.

The Sangha demanded that the contract system be abolished and all PKs be regularised to create a safe working atmosphere for them. The protesters demanded direct payment of wages.

Mayor Sampath Raj met the protesters and told them that such contractors will be blacklisted and action will be taken against them. BBMP officials who are hand in glove with the contract mafia too will be punished, he said.

He assured the workers that he will hold a meeting to ensure immediate steps for direct payment of wages to pourakarmikas and to ensure that the wages are paid on time.

Other demands to  avoid sexual assault

Mr Clifton D. Rozario of the BBMP Guttige Pourakarmika Sangha suggested that to prevent sexual assaults on pourakarmikas, the complaints related to sexual assault be dealt with seriously and women supervisors be appointed. “Women supervisors will help address the problem to an extent. We demand that the Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 be implemented,” he said.