Bangalore: Workers manning the privately run Nirmala toilets for public use have raised a stink, literally.

About 90 toilets in the city, managed by Integriti India, have shut down as workers at these toilets are on an indefinite strike.

Nearly 185 workers, who include caretakers of the toilets, have not been paid their salaries for three months now, alleged Venugopal, president of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Safaikarmacharigala Pourakarmikara and Shouchalya Shuchigalara Sangha.

The workers are entitled to a pay of Rs. 2,500 every month, he said.

Salaries

Their salaries were to be paid by Integriti India as the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) had awarded the contract of managing the toilets to this company. Girish Kumar, proprietor of Integriti India, told The Hindu that his company had not been paid monthly dues by the BMP. "My earnings from every unit (toilet) comes up to Rs. 9,000 a month. But the cost of water comes up to Rs. 30,000. I have apprised the BMP about it several times but no action has been taken," Mr. Kumar said.

Asked about the heavy expenditure on water, Mr. Kumar said that it was because water pipes outside the toilets were being used by passers-by, especially auto drivers to clean their vehicles.

"With such limited collection and huge water bills, I cannot be expected to pay the workers," he said.

Delay

Chief Health Officer at the BMP Vijaylakshmi said there had been a delay in clearing the bills of Integriti India as the company had not cleared its electricity and water bills. "The company has about Rs. 12 lakh dues pending and is therefore at fault," she said.

Dr. Vijaylakshmi said the services of Integriti India had not been found satisfactory. "We outsourced the work so that this kind of a situation does not arise. So now, we will soon call for zone-wise tenders to manage the toilets," she said.

Caught in the crossfire

The workers, however, have been caught in the crossfire. "The company says that they have no money as the BMP has not paid the dues.

Officials at the BMP say that the company is at fault. We are being shoved from one side to the other," Mr. Venugopal said.

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