Mangaluru : Karnataka State Safai Karmachari Commission chairman, M R Venkatesh, directed the district social welfare officer to file first information report (FIR) against Antony Waste Handling Cell Pvt Ltd, under the SC/ST Atrocities Act and Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. Antony Waste is the agency contracted by Mangaluru City Corporation for collecting and transporting waste from the city.

Speaking in a review meeting on Saturday Venkatesh told reporters that Antony Waste had failed to supply safety gear like gloves, mask, gumboots for civic workers. In addition, they are not being paid wages on time and even PF is not being remitted regularly. Wages are not credited to bank accounts of civic workers and they are forced to work from 6am to 7pm, which is violation of the labour laws, he said while directing the official to file FIR against the company.

Venkatesh who inspected condition of toilets at KSRTC bus stand, expressed displeasure over unhygienic condition. Though cleaning has been outsourced and fee of Rs 5 is collected from users, cleanliness is not maintained in majority of KSRTC bus stands. Outsourcing agency gets Rs 2,300 everyday, he said, adding Commission will write to the government to lodge a case against KSRTC MD. Civic workers are paid Rs 200 per day in violation of minimum wages act.

On regularising services of civic workers, he said government is mulling to regularise their services. There is confusion on minimum education qualification for the post. Moreover, there has been no recruitment of civic workers in Karnataka for last three-decades. CM has approved fixing simple qualification with knowledge of Kannada and physically fitness of person for recruitment. In all, 29,000 civic workers including 17,000 civic workers in first phase will be recruited.

Venkatesh said 1,000 civic workers will be taken on a foreign tour to study cleanliness in foreign countries. Passports of 1,000 civic workers are ready and tour will materialise next month. Eleven civic workers from Mangaluru have been selected, he said. Work on construction of quarters for civic workers under Gruha Bhagya yojane is under progress. In the vigilance committee meeting, CM has given approval for regularising quarters for retired civic workers, he added.