Will address your woes: DKS to BBMP health workers

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday assured health link workers of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) that their long-pending salary disputes would be addressed in consultation with senior officials. The assurance came after a group of BBMP women health workers staged a protest and submitted a memoran dum to the DyCM near his residence at Sadashiva Nagar.

The workers, who have been associated with BBMP for decades, complained that they were being denied direct salary payments despite years of service. Responding to their grievances, Shivakumar told them to form a delegation of five members and meet him again. He assured them that he would discuss their concerns with the officials concerned, and a solution would be worked out.

“The salaries of health workers will not be left hanging due to contractual loopholes,” he said. He clarified that sala ries were not to be paid by private contractors, but rather through the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML), an autonomous civic body led by an IAS officer. “This is not a contractor-managed body.

Therefore, your salary issue will be streamlined officially,” the DyCM said. The memorandum submitted by the work ers pointed out that in 2017, following the recruitment of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) under the National Health Mission, the health-link workers were shifted to the solid waste management wing.

However, the transition led to confusion about who would bearre sponsibility for their payments. Many of the women, who have worked with the BBMP for nearly 30 years, appealed that salaries must be disbursed di rectly from BBMP, ensuring stability and recognition of their service.

Shivakumar’s intervention has brought temporary relief, though workers have said they will intensify protests if the issue is not resolved soon. The matter is expected to be taken up with civic and finance officials in the coming days.