Services of all civic workers in all urban local bodies in Karnataka will be regularised: CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurating Kala Mandir cultural complex in Tilakwadi, Belagavi, in the presence of Ministers Satish Jarkiholi and Laxmi Hebbalkar, MLAs Abhay Patil and Asif Sait, on April 20, 2025.
| Photo Credit: P.K. BADIGER

The government of Karnataka is committed to regularising the services of all civic workers in all urban local bodies, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in Belagavi on April 20.

“The work of regularising the services of all poura karmikas (civic workers) in all ULBs in the State has already begun. It was the Congress government that introduced minimum wages for all contractual employees. We will also successfully completed the work of regularising all such workers,” he said.

“The State Government had abandoned the system of making contractors pay the workers, and had instead started the practice of directly paying a salary of ₹17,000 to civic workers. Steps are being taken to provide minimum wages to drivers and cleaners in all urban bodies and government departments,” the CM said after inaugurating Kala Mandir, a cultural complex built by Belagavi Smart City Limited.

The multi-storey building was built on around 2.62 acres at a cost of ₹57.6 crore. It has an auditorium and a space for cultural programmes, shops and entertainment zones.

The CM said that the complex will generate jobs and revenue. The income generated by the use of commercial spaces inside the complex would be utilised for the development of Belagavi city. Some of the pending works in Belagavi city will be completed and inaugurated in a few days.

“Our government is committed to ensuring the comprehensive development of the State. The Smart City project has been implemented in partnership with the Central Government. The State and Central Governments have provided 50% each for implementation of these projects. We have successfully steered the development of various cities under the Smart city projects. Of the ₹6,928 spent on Smart City projects in various cities, the government of Karnataka contributed ₹3,500 crore,” the CM said.

Mr. Siddaramaiah assured that action will be taken to review the amount of compensation paid to land losers in Halaga village for the establishment of the solid waste management system.

Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh said the State Government would consider the demand of civic workers to consider them as permanent government employees. “In the next three years, we will set up a system to see that all urban local bodies will pay the salaries of all contractual workers directly, without the intervention of contractors,” the Minister said.

The State Government plans to release ₹200 crore grant for each of the 10 city corporations in Karnataka, the Minister said.

The CM had instructed officials to take up the construction of public spaces, like commercial complexes, bus stands and other infrastructure facilities, everywhere in Karnataka, especially in those towns and cities where such facilities do not exist or are not commensurate with the population. He appealed to officials to maintain them well and encourage the public to make good use of these facilities.

Mr. Suresh said the process of issue of e-khatas is being simplified to enable residents file applications along with two valid documents, like water and power bills. “In Belagavi, we are preparing to issue over 50,000 e-khatas,” he said.

MLA Abhay Patil, who presided over the programme, demanded an additional grant of ₹5 crore to expand the waste treatment plant in Belagavi city. The city corporation plans to acquire 17 acres of land and build a plant at a cost of ₹165 crore. “We need more funds,” he said.

The CM responded by saying this demand would be considered.

“We have decided to provide three-wheelers to all the disabled persons in Karnataka,” the CM announced.

The CM and other guests distributed electric wheelchairs to some disabled persons under the 5% scheme of the municipal corporation, safety uniforms and breakfast items to civic workers and sanitation workers working on permanent, direct payment and outsourced basis in the municipal corporation.

The CM launched the programme to distribute laptops to professional college students by symbolically giving them to 30 students. He also issued A-khata and e-khata to some residents.

Ministers Satish Jarkiholi, Laxmi Hebbalkar, MLAs, MLCs, Urban Development Department Secretary Deepa Cholan, B. Sharat, Managing Director of the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC), Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Roshan, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Rahul Shinde, Mayor Mangesh Pawar, Deputy Mayor Vani Joshi, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Shubha B., Belagavi Smart City Managing Director Syeda Afreen Banu Bellary were present at the event.