In a confusing turn of events in the ongoing boycott of
work by Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) staff, a section of
pourakarmikas decided to resume work from Friday, provided their
attendance is marked. If they do, they would bring the city the
much-needed respite from the garbage accumulating over the past two
days.

Officers, engineers, officials of all grades
and pourakarmikas have been on strike since Wednesday to highlight their
grievances against the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF).

Differences surface

On
Thursday, Day 2 of the strike, one section of members of the BBMP
Pourakarmikas and Health Gangmen Union told Commissioner M.K.
Shankarlinge Gowda and Mayor D. Venkatesh Murthy pourakarmikas on BBMP’s
payroll are willing to start collecting garbage if there is someone to
mark their attendance. But another section of the union said no such
decision had been taken and the Mayor was trying to “misguide” the media
with such claims.

After a meeting in the afternoon
with the Mayor and Commissioner, N. Narayan, director of the union, said
they would continue the strike and no pourakarmika would attend work on
Friday.

This was even as the Mayor appealed for an
end to the strike as the matter is now before the State government. Mr.
Murthy’s press statement said their demands for the withdrawal of
criminal complaints made against BBMP engineers as well as limiting
BMTF’s powers had been raised with the Chief Minister.The Commissioner too hoped the strike would end “keeping the interest of the public in mind”.

Talks ‘inconclusive’

At
the end of the day, all appeals fell on deaf ears as members of the
BBMP Officers’ and Employees’ Union also called the talks “inconclusive”
and said the strike would continue. A final decision on how long the
boycott should continue is likely to be taken on Friday morning,
according to sources in the union.