Bengaluru waste collectors unpaid for four months amid absenteeism row

Waste collectors in Bengaluru have gone unpaid for four months, raising concerns about their livelihood and working conditions in the city.

The crisis comes as Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda recently highlighted absenteeism among pourakarmikas, the sanitation workers who sweep streets. His remarks have drawn sharp criticism from both waste collectors and pourakarmikas, who have demanded an apology from the minister.

The wage delays underscore tensions between civic administration and the sanitation workforce over accountability and working conditions.