Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara gave a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of Subramani, a pourakarmika from Ward 77 Dattatreya Temple in Bengaluru, who took his life a week ago.
Subramani committed suicide after he was not paid wages for six months. Parameshwara visited the family at their residence near Vinayaka Circle in the city and gave a cheque of Rs 10 lakh to Kavitha, Subramani’s wife, and Lekha, his sister.
He confirmed that the BBMP had been directed to pay all pourakarmikas immediately. "We have instructed the authorities to pay all civic workers in a week," he said.
He further reiterated that a permanent solution should be found for the problem of denial of wages of pourakarmikas.
"We have noticed that middlemen are withholding salaries of pourakarmikas for six months at a stretch. They must be paid directly instead," he said.
BBMP Mayor Sampath Raj and Commissioner Manjunath Prasad were also present along with Parameshwara.
On Thursday, at a protest held by pourakarmikas in the city outside the BBMP Head Office, Sampath Raj met Kavitha and assured that the payment of all pourakarmikas will be done immediately.
The protest was triggered by the death of Subramani, who took his life on July 8 after being forced to pull his children out of school because of unpaid wages.
Subramani was among the pourakarmikas yet to be paid after the BBMP switched from the contract system of payment to a direct system. Pourakarmikas in the city have been protesting for months now, that their wages have not been paid despite registering their biometric attendance every day and cleaning the streets regularly.
Over 3,000 pourakarmikas in the city had not been paid wages for six months until the BBMP, under pressure after the suicide of Subramani, decided to release Rs 27 crores for the payment of wages of the civic workers.