BENGALURU: Opposition BJP and JDS have slammed the Congress government for non-payment of salaries to 145 grave diggers across the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).
Reacting to the report, ‘Greater Bengaluru Authority yet to pay salary to crematorium staff, grave diggers’ published in The New Indian Express on October 28, Assembly Opposition Leader R Ashoka, Council Opposition Leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and JDS leaders criticised the government, urging it to pay the salaries without further delay.
“There is no money to close a single pothole. Government school teachers have not been paid for 6 months. No salary for cemetery staff for 8 months. DCM @DKShivakumar, Where are the thousands of crores of tax money being paid to the Corporation in Bengaluru? Whose pocket is the people’s tax money going to? On top of this, you have once again come down to extort lakhs of rupees from common people on the pretext of A-khata conversion. People will definitely not forgive you,” Ashoka posted.
Chalavadi Narayanaswamy stated in a release, “The Congressmen, who speak about digging a tunnel, have not paid salaries to 147 grave diggers and electric crematorium staff. They cheated many people (contractors) without paying them. Many have committed suicide. Is the minister in charge going to the districts? The DCM will not be able to cover the potholes.”
JDS posted on X, “What a wretched state Karnataka has become under the INC Karnataka regime! Graveyard staff in Greater Bangalore have not been paid for 9 months. More than 145 staff working in electric crematoriums and Rudrabhoomi are without salary and their families are struggling.”
Mean Sowri Rajan, who is heading the Dr BR Ambedkar Rudrabhoomi and Vidyut Chitagara Sangha, said that after the news was published some officials responded and said salaries would be released.
“Our patience has reached the saturation point. Soon all our association members will lock burial ground gates and will not bury or cremate bodies. We will appeal to the public to take the bodies to the GBA head office,” said Rajan.
