Scores of pourakarmikas staged a protest demanding that the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) disburse their pending salaries immediately.

The contract pourakarmikas claimed that they had not received their salaries for nearly five months.

Threatening to go on strike if their pending salaries were not disbursed immediately, they also demanded that the civic body regularise their services.

Jayaram, secretary of BBMP Contract Pourakarmikas’ Association, said the contract pourakarmikas in parts of the city, including Rajarajeshwarinagar, Mathikere, J.P. Nagar, Katriguppe, Hanumanthnagar, Girinagar and Jayanagar, did not collect garbage as a mark of protest.

He said the pourakarmikas were forced to stage protests repeatedly demanding that their salaries be paid on time.

“As it is, the contract pourakarmikas get paid only Rs. 5,500 a month. How is this enough to eke out a livelihood in the city with prices of essential commodities skyrocketing? The least the BBMP can do for us is at least pay our salaries on time,” he said.

However, BBMP officials told The Hindu that the civic body had disbursed salaries to the contractors on time.