BENGALURU: The GBA has not paid salary to grave diggers and electric crematorium staff since February 2025. The promised ‘direct payment’ of Rs 10,500 to 145 grave diggers and electrical cremation staff has not materialised so far.
Dr BR Ambedkar Rudrabhoomi Mattu Vidyut Chitagara Sangha (Dr BR Ambedkar Burial Ground and Electrical Cremation Association) said the demand for permanent homes for grave diggers remain unaddressed, with families continuing to live in dilapidated quarters inside the burial ground.
The staff comprising the burial ground registrar, diggers, cleaners, and those involved in cremation say, even before the BBMP could be split, the association met Welfare Department officials in the previous corporation and due to the BBMP technical team and engineers’ error, families of 145 members are forced to depend on alms from families of deceased persons who come to the site for last rites and hand loans from friends and relatives helping them for two square meals a day, but the big challenge is to pay school and college fees of their children and rentals.
“Barring a few, most live in rented homes, and we have been running from pillar to post for the last eight months to get our dues. Since February 2025, Rs 21,80,000 is due in payments. Now that the BBMP is split into five corporations, some of our representatives are reaching out to each commissioner’s office to raise the issue, but it remains unresolved. We also requested Ground ‘D’ status in 2017, which is still pending. We may soon close all burial ground gates and switch off our phones,” said Savri Rajan, president of the association.
Subash Chandra and Anthony Das (Kutty), Crematorium Staff from Jeevanahalli Kalpalli in Bengaluru Central City Corporation, said there is enough space to build quarters to accommodate 35-40 families in Central City Corporation in Jeevanahalli, but there is a lack of will, both from elected representatives and from the corporation.
“The existing few quarters are 40-50 years old, and the walls and ceilings are cracked and weak, and they can crumble anytime. We request the government, Opposition and the corporation to consider our requests,” said the two workers, who were among the 40 electric crematorium staff spread across 10 crematoriums in Bengaluru.
Assistant Executive Engineer, Electrical Department, Bengaluru Central City Corporation, Aparna, admitted to the delay and blamed it on the process to bring these segments to the ‘Direct Payment’ system from the contract, initiated 10 months ago.
