BBMP pourakarmikas to get new uniforms, safety gears

Bengaluru: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday distributed safety vests, new uniforms and equipment to the pourakarmikas in front of the BR Ambedkar's statue at Vidhana Soudha. The event commemorated the 130th birth anniversary of the architect of Indian Constitution.

Safety vests and equipment were a long standing demand of the pourakarmikas. They will wear the new uniforms which are colour-coded based on their nature of work. The workers tasked to collect wet waste will wear green uniforms, dry waste collectors will be provided blue uniforms and sweepers rust-brown uniform.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials say that the health inspectors will get two safari suits, supervisors blazer along with two denim pants and a cap (667 sets in total) while each 173 male junior health inspector will get two safari suits and a cap each. The 50 female junior health inspectors will get two safari coats, two salwar suits and a cap each.

The items have been procured from the Karnataka Department of Handlooms and Textiles at an estimated cost of Rs 9.34 crore, 13,562 sets comprising two aprons, two sarees, a sweater, a cap, and two pairs of hand gloves and face masks have been ordered for female pourakarmikas. Their male counterparts will get the same set (4726 in total) of items except for track pants instead of sarees.

According to the BBMP the State government allocated Rs 7.8 crore towards the municipal body to cover these costs. "BBMP will spend the remaining Rs 1.5 crore to procure these items," the official said.

A senior BBMP official explained, "We will distribute these to pourakarmikas at a zonal-level within a week while the same for other officers will be made available within two months."

BBMP has also procured 55,000 brooms made from coconut leaves from the Karnataka State Coir Development Corporation after spending Rs 40 lakh.