The Karnataka State government has officially designated a dozen critical public services within Bengaluru under the stringent rules of the Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance Act (K-ESMA), 2013. These vital functions encompass solid waste management, water supply, public health initiatives, ambulance services, and crematorium operations, among others.
The order, issued on Friday, highlights the government’s firm stance: any refusal to work by employees in these sectors would, in their view, severely impact public utility services crucial for community life and could inflict significant hardship on residents. This belief serves as the primary justification for bringing these services under K-ESMA.
This directive follows a history of numerous strikes by essential workers in Bengaluru over the past decade and a half, particularly by Pourakarmikas (sanitation workers) and garbage collectors. With this new order, staging such protests will become considerably more challenging. However, the move has already drawn sharp criticism from labor leaders. Vinay Sreenivasa, a prominent trade union leader and long-time advocate for pourakarmikas, voiced strong concerns: “It’s truly ironic that a government which struggles to ensure timely payments and provide basic equipment for contract auto drivers and loaders now focuses on preventing them from striking. Workers would not resort to strikes if the government treated them fairly. This measure appears designed to suppress workers’ ability to fight for their fundamental rights.”
The comprehensive list of the twelve services now covered by K-ESMA, 2013 includes:
- Water supply and related services
- Street cleaning and sweeping operations
- Door-to-door waste collection, transportation, and processing
- Management and maintenance of all municipal water works
- Collection, removal, treatment, and disposal of sewage
- Ambulance services
- Services for conveying deceased individuals to crematoriums
- Other specified essential public health services.