The municipal councillors in the national capital want a fixed monthly salary and the city Mayor has now decided to approach Union Home Minister P Chidamabaram on the issue.
Demand for salary has been raised for long by councillors in Delhi and Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney is now writing a letter to Mr. Chidamabaram in this regard, citing similar practice prevalent in cities like Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
“I have written a letter to the Union Home Minister which will be dispatched in a couple of days. We have demanded a salary of Rs 10,000 for councillors apart from an increase in the meeting allowance from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000,” Mr. Sawhney said.
At present, corporators get an allowance of Rs 300 for attending each meeting of the MCD House, but there is no fixed salary.
“There are instances in other cities where municipal councillors get salary. In Mumbai, they are given Rs 10,000 per month while it is Rs 3,000 for Ahmedabad. In Jalandhar too, there is a fixed salary for them. But there is no such provision in Delhi,” the Mayor said.
The MCD may also demand medical facilities for councillors on par with other elected representatives at private hospitals. This facility is now available for them at the civic body’s clinics and hospitals. It also wants group insurance of Rs 5 lakh each for them.
The demand for salary was earlier raised by chairmen of various ward committees at a special meeting of the MCD Standing Committee on January 12.
In August last year, just after MPs succeeded in ensuring a steep hike in their monthly allowance, municipal councillors from both ruling BJP and opposition Congress in MCD had raised the issue at a meeting of the civic agency.
