BANGALORE: Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda on Saturday urged the pourakarmikas not to protest on the birth anniversary of Dr B R Amebedkar. Gowda was speaking on the Pourakarmika Day which is also celebrated on April 14.
Referring to the pourakarmikas on Saturday, who were staging a protest demanding hike in their pay, Gowda advised them to celebrate the day with respect. Further, he called the members of Pourakarmika Association to meet him for discussions. “Out government is keen on solving all the problems faced by pourakarmikas,” he said.
Appreciating the works of pourakarmikas, Gowda said that there were 4,000 powrakarmikas in the city. “If you want to demand for a hike in pay, it is your right. We will try to solve this problem,” he assured. Earlier, Narayana, vice-president of Pourakarmika Association said that many pourakarmikas who were in contract were getting only Rs 2,300 per month, while Rs 6,900 per month salary was notified by the state government.
He also demanded the state government and BBMP to install Dr B R Ambedkar’s statue on Palike’s premises. Further, he demanded for health insurance coverage upto Rs 3 lakh.
On this occasion, senior pourakarmikas were felicitated with Rs 5,000. Chickpet MLA Hemachandra Sagar, Mayor Sharadamma, Deputy Mayor S Harish, Opposition leaders Udayshankar, Padmanabha Reddy, Commissioner M K Shankarlinge Gowda were present.