NEW DELHI: Over a thousand teachers along with other staff employed with the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) sat on a mass ‘dharna’ before the civic body headquarters at Udyog Sadan, Patparganj, demanding their salaries pending for the past five months.
The East MCD has over 5,000 teachers who are engaged with 354 schools under its jurisdiction. While salaries of teachers as well as other non-teaching staff have not been paid for five months, pensioners have been waiting for their dues for the past seven months. The teachers’ association said they have been “forced to take to streets” for their basic right to pay.
Out in the scorching heat, the teachers and fellow staff held placards that read ‘Na atta hai na daal hai, kaisa bura haal hai’ (neither there is wheat nor lentils, such bad is the condition) and ‘shikshak ka ye haal hai kaisa, kahan gaya vetan ka paisa’ (What is this condition of teachers, where did the money meant for their dues go).
“Teachers are almost now forced to beg or switch to something like running vegetable carts, as they have run out of savings. They are buried under loans from banks, money lenders to pay house rents or EMIs of houses, vehicles and even the annual fee of schools of their children,” said Ramnivas Solanki, general secretary of the Nagar Nigam Shikshak Sangh.
He added that the employees had been made to suffer in the tussle between the BJP-led corporations and the AAP-led Delhi government. While the municipal corporation says it has no funds to even pay its staff, as the Delhi government has not released funds “due” to the civic bodies over the past few years and even for this quarter, the latter alleges widespread corruption in corporations as the reason for them not being able to pay employees.
“If our dues are not paid soon enough, we will be forced to go for a larger demonstration outside the L-G House for an indefinite period or even a hunger strike,” said Mahipal Singh Mavi, a teacher and convener of the east wing of the Sangh.