BENGALURU: For many contract pourakarmikas, basic hygiene, financial security, regular wages, healthcare and decent housing remain out of reach. Poor working conditions, inadequate safety gear, irregular salary payments and makeshift living spaces have their daily reality.
During a surprise visit recently, Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda had lashed out at pourakarmikas for not being regular to work and not keeping the city clean. His remarks had drawn sharp criticism from various quarters, highlighting the hardships being faced by these workers.
During a visit by TNIE to a garbage transfer point in Mahadevapura, several pourakarmikas, mostly migrant workers from West Bengal, were seen transferring waste from auto-tippers to trucks.
As the tippers unloaded, garbage that fell onto the ground was picked up by hand and thrown into the trucks. When asked why they were not wearing safety gear, the personnel in-charge said workers use them during their morning waste collection duties. However, the workers said even the gloves that they wore during waste collection were bought by themselves and nothing was given by the authorities.
Their living conditions were equally concerning. At a waste shed, which workers also described as their homes, makeshift structures made of metal and plastic sheets provided little semblance of a liveable dwelling. The area was surrounded by rag-picked plastic and cardboard waste, which workers said they collect and sell to earn additional money.
The need to sell recyclable waste, they said, is largely driven by irregular wage payments and to make ends meet. One worker, who said he has lived this life for 14 years after coming from Kolkata in search of work, gets only Rs 3,000 as salary even now. He said payments are made at the will of the contractor, with minimum gaps of three to six months between payments.
The story of pourakarmikas working at other centres is not very different. PP Appanna, state president, All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), said waste collectors and auto drivers should receive basic salaries of around Rs 12,000 to Rs 14,000, but many are paid only Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000. He also raised concerns over the absence of regular health check-ups (once in three months), ESI and PF benefits and safety equipment. “The labour department should verify whether workers are being provided ESI and PF benefits. If so many people are employed, these basic protection cannot be ignored,” he said.
Appanna said contractors often appoint sub-contractors who bring workers from their villages and pay them low wages, calling for greater accountability in the system. He also pointed to the Salappa Committee report, which recommended gloves, masks, health check-ups and rehabilitation for workers.
Greater Bengaluru Pourakarmika Association president PN Muthyalappa echoed concerns over the workers’ health and the illnesses they are exposed to. He highlighted that many of them do not have ESI cards, health cards or access to regular medical check-ups. He said the workers are often left with nowhere to turn in times of crisis, particularly when they or their family members face health-related issues. He urged the authorities to take their health concerns seriously and ensure that they are provided with regular medical check-ups and adequate healthcare support.