BENGALURU: While Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda drew criticism for pulling up pourakarmikas at the Horamavu ward after finding 30% of them absent during his surprise check, the Greater Bengaluru Pourakarmikas Association (GBPA) and Karnataka State Commission for Safai Karamcharis stated that despite 15,000-odd pourakarmikas (PKs) across five corporations, the city still needs at least 3,000 more workers.
Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, when he was deputy chief minister, had said he moved heaven and earth to solve the garbage issue, but the mafia did not allow him to. But there is a mafia that is faking pourakarmika numbers and collecting salaries by marking fake attendance.
It also lists nonexistent vans and compactors in every ward for which taxpayers’ money is shelled out. These are the realities that have been common for decades. One should not be surprised that Byre Gowda found 30% PKs missing at a ward, said activist Kathyayini Chamaraj, Executive Trustee, CIVIC.
“Instead of questioning officials for fake entries on the rolls, he offended the PKs who were actually present and attending regularly to their work by questioning their right to seek regular employment. Earlier, PKs were grossly exploited by contractors.
That was the reason they were freed from the contract system and brought directly under the municipal corporation as regular employees. But it appears that it has in no way reduced the fake entries or improved their working conditions. If ward committees with the participation of local citizens had been ensured, they would have been able to monitor the genuineness of the attendance records, the existence of the claimed number of tempos and compactors, etc., and thus loosened the grip of the mafia,” she said.
“At Horamavu ward, out of 25, 13 had turned up and the minister was upset. But that does not mean he can shout at these workers. Instead, he should increase the capacity,” said Muthyalappa, president, GBPA.
Senior environment department engineers from Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd said that 10 years ago, the city had 32,000 civic workers, and agency supervisors used to provide fictitious figures. With the biometric system introduced in 2016, the number of PKs came down from 32,000 to 18,000. With deaths and retirements, the number has now shrunk to 15,000. Under the Direct Payment System, PKs are given Rs 27,000 per month. They are provided ESI and PF facilities and also given health insurance. In May 2025, the government made 12,692 PKs permanent. With that, their gross salary increased to Rs 39,000.
“Earlier, only 4,000-odd PKs working at the Palike since 2000 were identified as permanent staff. After the verification of documents, fitness certificates, and age, 9,000 members were given the permanent status,” an official said.
Over 900 of them have died due to health issues and accidents. Many who are still working are over 55 years old, while some do not qualify, as they should have served for at least five years to seek permanent status.
An official from the Karnataka State Commission for Safai Karmacharis said after five corporations were created under GBA, PKs were distributed across civic bodies, and there is still a dearth of civic workers.
“For every 700 people, one PK is allotted to clear garbage. Going by that logic, around 3,000 members should be appointed to fill the gap. Those engaging in union activity by skipping the municipal duty and not attending should be taken to task. 90% of the conservancy workers do their duty, but 10% do not and bring a bad name to the City,” said the official.