The Municipal Corporation of Delhi is facing a severe cash crunch leaving employees in perpetual anticipation of timely payment of salaries.
The East and North Delhi Municipal Corporations are facing difficulties in paying employee salaries for April, owing to lack of funds.
According to a report by the Times Of India, last week, EDMC has sought Rs 235 crore from the Aam Aadmi Party-led state government, while north corporation put in a request for Rs 97 crore to pay the salaries of employees.
But for the workers, hope seems bleak.
“This month we paid the sanitation workers, but it will not be possible next month,“ the report quoted an EDMC official as saying.
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Non payment of salaries will affect teachers, nurses, paramedical staff, office assistants, clerks, accountants, engineers, doctors and administrative officers in these two bodies who have reportedly not been paid for the last two months.
“We dedicate precious hours of our everyday life to teaching children, but our remuneration is always delayed,“ said Vibha Singh, member of the EDMC teachers' union.
BJP's manifesto for this year's MCD polls said that the Centre will send direct funds to civic bodies. Manoj Tiwari had promised adequate funds to municipal corporations if the party wins. However, less than 10 days after the results of the municipal corporation polls were declared, workers are facing the same plight that led to a strike last year.
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The sanitation workers had gone on a strike early last year demanding a permanent solution to the perennial crisis faced by the MCD. The Delhi High Court had, in response, directed the government to pay the salaries, adding that it was not concerned with the dispute between the AAP government and the BJP-led three municipal corporations in the city.
Again early this year, EDMC employees had gone on a strike for the same reason.
Since 2015, east corporation sanitation workers have gone on a strike five times over non-payment of salaries.
Amid the troubling situation, however, blame game between the state government and the civic body continues with the civic bodies complaining that the state government has not given them the funds as mandated by the Delhi Finance Commission and the government asserting that due to corruption, the funding gets affected which has been otherwise adequately provided by the state.
