With party councillors in the North Delhi Municipal Corporation disrupting House proceedings and the party’s youth wing staging a demonstration, the Delhi Congress on Tuesday hit out against the BJP-led civic bodies for not paying salaries and pensions for two months.
Police used tear gas shell to disperse the crowd. “We had to resort to using tear gas to disperse the crowd. Around 20 protesters were detained, who were freed after routine enquiry,” said a police officer.
Members of the opposition Congress rushed to the well of the House and disrupted the proceedings. The party won’t let the House work unless the dues were paid, Leader of Opposition Mukesh Goel said.
“In reply to my query on, the Commissioner said pensions for widows were disbursed in June 2014 and they will be paid again when the financial situation improves. Still, we want to know when that would be,” Goel said.
He said pensions have not been paid since December 2013 in one ward of the City Zone.
The Congress councillors started shouting slogans like “set a deadline for pension payments”. Amid the protest, North Corporation Commissioner Pravin Kumar Gupta told the House that employees were paid for January and salaries for February were being released.
Youth Congress workers also held protests outside the Civic Centre. Police prevented them from overrunning the barricades. City Youth Congress president Amit Malik said police used force on protesters and even detained some of them at Hauz Qazi police station.
“Police used teargas. Many were injured. We will keep demanding pensions to be paid to beneficiaries within a month,” said Malik.
