BANGALORE: The 86 `Nirmala Bangalore' toilets that had shut down following a strike by the employees deployed by the maintenance contractors, resumed functioning on Friday.

The strike was called off after the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) officials cleared the pending bills to the tune of Rs. 18,41,000 to the maintenance contractors. BMP Deputy Commissioner (Health) Manu Baligar said the problem had been solved now. "We have released the cheques and the employees have resumed work," he said. The toilets had shut down 185 workers deployed by Integriti India had stopped work because they were not paid salaries for the past three months. The salaries were held up because the BMP had not paid the firm. Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the BMP Council staged a dharna in front of the BMP head office demanding that the pending bills be cleared . Led by the BJP leader in the BMP Council A.H. Basvaraju they raised slogans against Mayor Mumtaz Begum and the ruling Congress in the BMP .

"Though the toilets had been shut for three days, the Mayor has not initiated any action against the maintenance contractors," he said.

"Integriti India, the company entrusted with the maintenance, collects fee from the users and BMP also pays the company Rs. 12,000 every month as maintenance charges. Despite this, the company has failed to maintain the toilets in proper condition," he charged.

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