Delhi likely to give Rs 307 crore more to MCDs

As the strike called by thousands of sanitation workers entered the ninth day, the mayors of three BJP-ruled MCDs on Thursday discussed the crisis caused by the municipal workers’ strike with deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and claimed the Delhi government is likely to give Rs 307 crore more to pay salaries.

Mr Sisodia said after the meeting the mayors have assured him that they will get the striking employees back to work.

“Met all 3 mayors just now. They hv assured me that they are making all efforts to get the striking employees back to work,” he tweeted after the meeting.

“Mr Sisodia admitted the crisis is real and there should be no delay in payment of salaries to the striking employees. He also admitted North and East municipal corporations needed more money. He said he will talk to the lieutenant-governor and (chief minister) Arvind Kejriwal for the release of additional Rs 307 crore to North and East municipal corporations,” North Delhi mayor Ravinder Gupta said after the meeting at the Delhi Secretariat.

The mayors told Mr Sisodia releasing some money is not a permanent solution to the financial crisis. “We asked him for a permanent solution and told him the loans (extended) by the Delhi government will put pressure on the MCDs which are not in a position to pay interest,” East Delhi mayor Harshdeep Malhotra said.

“We told him we will accept the loan of Rs 551 crore as an instalment of Rs 3,000 crore yet to be paid by the government to the MCDs,” South Delhi mayor Subhash Arya said.

The three BJP mayors said they have appealed to the Kejriwal government and the striking employees to help them restore essential services of sanitation, health and education provided by the three municipal corporations. “We have appealed to the municipal corporation employees to call off their strike considering the hardships faced by people of Delhi and urged the AAP-led Kejriwal government to help us restore sanitation, health and education services,” Mr Gupta said.

Day 9: Workers refuse to end stir Despite the AAP government’s decision to provide a Rs 551-crore loan to North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations for paying January salaries to their employees, the civic workers continued their strike for the ninth day on Thursday.

The strike has not only affected civic services, but has crippled medical services in all the MCD-run hospitals and schools as doctors and teachers too are on strike. The city continued to reel under the stench of garbage as the sanitation workers refused to resume work.

The peeved employees of North and East corporations, including an array of doctors, nurses, teachers, beldars and sanitation workers, again begged on the streets as a mark of protest as the strike entered Day Nine.

Major parts of the capital witnessed severe traffic jams due to the massive strike as protesters disrupted vehicular movement even as they dumped garbage at the offices of the Delhi government ministers.

“Non-release of salaries is not a new issue and this demand of the MCD employees is also not new. What is happening is a result of negligence and irresponsibility of the Delhi government, the Centre and the MCDs,” said Jai Kishan, patron of the Joint Front of MCD Unions. The union protested at Karol Bagh zone office and burnt effigies of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi against non-release of salaries.

Around 8,000 senior and resident doctors, 10,000 nurses as well as paramedical staff of seven hospitals and hundreds of polyclinics are protesting on the streets. “We urge both the Delhi government and the Central government to find a solution to end the strike. Thousands of people are suffering due to our strike which has been forced on us due to lack of any permanent solution to the issue of payment of salaries and other dues in time,” said Dr R.R. Gautam, president of Municipal Corporation Doctors’ Association.

“The Delhi government is trying to play politics over this issue. The commissioners wrote a the letter to Delhi government officers, but it is either (Mr) Kejriwal or (Mr) Sisodia who respond for everything with partial information. I invite an open debate with the Delhi government in the Constitution Club over issue of the MCD funds,” said BJP general secretary R.P. Singh.