End to trash troubles on Saturday?

There could be relief for Bangaloreans on Saturday as pourakarmikas have decided to call off their three-day-old strike.

The pourakarmikas had joined the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Employees’ and Officers’ Association’s strike against the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force for booking cases against Palike engineers.

The association has set a Monday evening deadline for a “positive reply” from the government, failing which they will resume the strike on Tuesday.

The association decided to call off their protest “temporarily” after Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy and BBMP commissioner M K Shankarlinge Gowda promised to resolve the issue legally. Addressing association members after meeting Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar with the commissioner and association members, the Mayor said, “The government will give a positive reply on Monday since Saturday and Sunday are holidays. Legal options to withdraw prosecution powers of BMTF are being worked out.”

He told reporters that they have sent proposals to Principal Secretaries of the Legal and Urban Development Departments. “The 1996 government order contradicts the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act.” He also said the BMTF will move to the BMTC building in Shantinagar.

On quashing FIRs against BBMP officials, he said, “It is left to the government.”

Association president R Subramanium said the government, Mayor and commissioner promised to resolve the issue by Monday evening.