NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Delhi government to find a solution to issue related to non-payment of dues to the staff of municipal corporations. A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan told the AAP government on Monday that depletion of its revenue cannot be an answer to a lack of funds with municipal corporations to pay salaries. The court said that a solution has to be found, and listed the matter for hearing on August 10.
It asked Delhi government's standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra to come with instructions on the next date. Mehra, during the hearing via video conferencing, told the court that government’s revenues are depleting, but it will do the needful. "That (revenue depletion) cannot be an answer. A solution has to be found. Figure it out and give us a solution," the bench said.
The observations came while hearing an application moved by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation which has alleged that Rs 90.60 crore payable as grant-in-aid under the sanitation/urban development head, for the first quarter ending June 30, has not been released yet and Rs 181 crore under the same head for the second quarter is also due.
The corporation said the funding was meant for payment of salaries of 'safai karamchaaris' and sanitation activities. The application has been filed in a pending writ petition by one Rahul Birla seeking directions to government and municipal corporations to pay the salaries with arrears of sanitation workers employed by them.
(With PTI inputs)