The Delhi government on Wednesday released funds for the payment of outstanding salaries of the sanitation workers of the civic bodies battling financial crisis, especially the East and North Delhi Municipal Corporations. The decision was taken after delegation of MCD ‘safai karamcharis’ met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the Delhi Secretariat.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that Mr. Kejriwal directed immediate release of funds to ensure payment of outstanding salaries of the MCD sanitation workers who have been suffering due to rampant corruption and inefficiency in their corporations.
The State government also decided to direct the Commissioners of the three corporations to issue cashless health cards to the sanitation workers. Besides, the State government would also be writing to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on the issue.
Mr. Sisodia added that the Centre should also ‘now rise above political considerations and immediately release the funds for the Delhi government, which will immediately transfer these funds to the MCDs’.
The BJP leaders in the civic bodies, however, dismissed the government’s announcement as a “political stunt”.
“This money is the first instalment of the new financial year’s grants, which we anyway get by end of April. This is an attempt to fool the people of Delhi,” said North Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Yogendra Chandolia said.
He added that each corporation would need around Rs.500 crore annually to extend the cashless health service to all safai karamcharis. Since the corporations are unable to pay salaries, they won’t be able to provide cashless cards without financial support from the government.
Municipal officials said they would only be able to spend on salaries of sanitation workers if the grant is under the relevant head. “We can’t pay salaries from the funds meant for school students’ books,” said a senior official.
Mr. Kejriwal directed immediate release of funds to ensure payment of outstanding salaries of the MCD sanitation workers
