NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is set to regularise 12,000 contractual employees in its upcoming House meeting on Tuesday, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi announced on Sunday.
She made the statement during a press conference alongside MCD Mayor Mahesh Khinchi, Deputy Mayor Ravinder Bharadwaj, and Leader of the House Mukesh Goel.
Atishi stated that the AAP government is committed to ensuring job security for temporary workers in the MCD, which the party governs.
"In the last two years, we have made 4,500 contractual workers permanent. Now, in the MCD House meeting on 25 February, we are set to regularise 12,000 more employees across all departments, including sanitation workers, junior engineers, senior engineers, gardeners, and other contractual staff," she said.
She also compared the move to AAP’s governance model in Punjab, where temporary teachers are being granted permanent status. "AAP delivers on its promises. This decision will be the biggest of its kind in the city's history," she added.
The civic body’s temporary sanitation workers, numbering around 20,000, have long demanded regularisation and have held multiple demonstrations in the past. They have cited low wages, lack of job security, and the absence of benefits such as financial support in case of death while on duty as major concerns.
Atishi also criticised the BJP, accusing the party of making excuses to avoid fulfilling commitments. "I knew the BJP would try to escape from its promises. That's why, before the new chief minister was appointed, we ensured that the Delhi government presented its financial status clearly," she said.
Highlighting the city's economic growth under the AAP government, she noted that when the party first took office in 2015, Delhi's budget stood at Rs 30,000 crore. "Despite receiving no financial support from the central government, we strengthened Delhi's economy. Today, the budget for 2024-25 has reached Rs 77,000 crore, marking a 2.5-time increase in the last decade," she stated.