Pay our salaries, say East Corpn employees

Miffed over non-payment of salaries by the East Corporation for the last three months, its employees demanded unification of the three civic agencies in the city.

They demonstrated outside the hall where the East Delhi Municipal Corporation’s Standing Committee meeting was being held on Thursday.

Scores of employees were seen shouting slogans “MCDs ek karo aur salaries release karo (unify the three municipal corporations and release the salaries)”. It filled the air and disrupted the proceedings.

“We have not been paid a penny for three months and most of us have also not got medical reimbursements,” said an agitator. But Commissioner Amit Yadav said the civic agency had already cleared the salary for December. 

“We got grants from the Delhi government in January. So if you ask me, we are not able to pay only one month’s salary,” said Yadav. A senior official, however, said some departments of the East Corporation might not have given salaries to its staff for over three months.

 “We have got over 27,000 employess working under different heads. So there’s a possibility that protesters are not lying,” the official added. The civic agency requires Rs 87 crore a month just to pay salaries and other benefits.

Asked if the corporation will be able to generate that much cash to disburse salaries, Yadav said, “We are still trying to figure out a way to ensure that salaries are given to the employees as soon as possible.”

Standing Committee chairperson B B Tyagi said the East Corporation will fix an appointment with the Delhi government and send a delegation to seek financial help. 

“We are planning to take up the issues of grants in aid and our shares of taxes with the Delhi government. We haven’t been getting aid from the government since long,” Tyagi added.