BENGALURU: A week ago, hundreds of pourakarmikas gathered outside the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) office to protest against the violence meted out to them by contractors. A few days earlier, contractor Nagesh, of KR Puram, had allegedly abused and threatened to rape one of them for demanding her wage.
Pourakarmikas say that they are routinely threatened, assaulted and denied their leaves and wages by contractors and BBMP officials rarely act against such abuse. BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad was not available for comments. Union leaders say that earlier the workers suffered this in silence but, over the last few years, pourakarmikas have started speaking up.
‘Gave us gloves, but took them back’
Rangamma has been working in KR Puram for the last 30 years, and severely injured her hand a month back. "I fell down while working and went to ask the person right under the contractor for just Rs 200 so I can get some medicine, but was told to get lost. They gave us gloves a while back so that these kind of injuries can be avoided, but they took them back right after. I had no option but to work through the pain, and at my age, it is very difficult," she says.
‘Got threatened by the officials too’
Shyamala, also from KR Puram, says that she had to face caste insults, being hit with an iron road and sexual harassment. "When we asked for our salaries, the contractor called men to strip us. He said that he'd give us our salaries if we stand in line so he can put mangalsutras around our necks. He started hitting us with iron rods, I got hurt on my neck." Even department officials were accused of threatening them saying that if they didn't comply, they'd be cut up and thrown into sacks. "Nagesh wasn't afraid to take out his rod at the police station either, he said he could bribe them."
‘If we ask for a day's leave, we're asked not to come the next day’
Anuseeyamma from Banaswadi says that if they ask for a day's sick leave, they're asked not to return the next day. "Some days, we're made to work from 5.30am to 7pm. If we do fewer hours, we're made to do a double shift the next day, or they tell us not to come at all. We have to fall at the contractor's feet and beg if we want to come back."
‘Supposed to get Rs 17k a month, get Rs 4-5k only’
"If we take one day's leave, we are marked absent for two days," says Ravanamma, adding that she can't pay her rent because out of the Rs 17,000 that they're supposed to be getting, they've only received Rs 4,000-5,000 per month. "We don't have money to eat on some days."
‘Nagesh said he'd give Rs 3 lakh if we took back complaint’
"Nagesh personally threatened me. He hired five gundas to rape me and they chased me with rods when I demanded my salary. When he first heard about the police complaint, he said he'd give Rs 3 lakh if we took it back. But I have the union on our side now, and aren't going to be bribed. We will keep fighting," says Rathna of KR Puram.
‘Marked absent since October 11’
Women aren't usually made to stand on the trucks to unload, but Amravathi says that she is being forced to climb up and unload despite her age and health problems. "When I requested to exempt me from this kind of strenuous work, I noticed that I've been marked absent since October 11. I have sprains in both my arms and back because of this."
‘Injured in accident, but still working’
"I fell off the lorry while working one day and have inured my back. I don't have money to go to the doctor, and I'm scared to take leave. So I've been working through the pain for the last fifteen days. I handle the Central Police Station Road, Balaji Road and Santhe Road, and it is not common for one person, especially someone my age, to be handling three roads," says Rathnamma.
‘Seeing a difference after 15 years’
Clifton D Rozario of the BBMP Guttige Pourakarmika Sangha, says that they have been fighting for 15 years, and only now are they seeing some action. He points out that by focusing on the assault cases, we're normalising the ill treatment meted out to the workers. "There have been incidents in Peenya, Koramangala, ward 71 and complaints have been filed and where the workers have spoken out. But on a daily basis these women are being ill treated, and everywhere by the fact that they haven’t been paid in three months and are made to work seven days a week," he says. Rozario says that he is glad that these women are speaking up, as earlier they were too afraid. "Even in the IT industry, women are afraid to speak up about workplace sexual harassment, so one can only imagine how difficult it must've been for these women."
‘Every ward should handle its own garbage’
Talking to us about possible solutions to this problem, Srinivas Alavalli of citizen group Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB), says that the garbage mafia should be stopped by way of getting rid of the contract system. "The entire system is compromised, everyone from the contractor, the corporator to the MLA gets a cut, and that's why they don't want to do away with the contract system." Secondly, every ward should handle it's own garbage issue by ensuring that waste goes to a local plant for seggregation rather than being transported and dumped elsewhere. This reduces garbage and also curbs the garbage transport mafia, says Srinivas. Finally, money should go directly to the bank accounts of the workers, with ATM cards and passbooks being handed over to them directly rather than going through a contractor.