NEW DELHI: Taking shape slowly, the newly-unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has started financial course correction. The civic body on Tuesday released a month's salary and pension to employees, who were not paid their dues for the past five to six months.
Officials said that the dues for the pending months will also be released in due time. The announcement brought much joy and relief to the staffers, many of whom had been struggling to survive. The MCD in an official statement said that it has released one month's salary of its employees.
"Additionally, the civic agency also released one month's pension to the employees. The corporation gave a fund of Rs 432.84 crore available for the same. Despite the financial constraints, the corporation aims to release the outstanding salary of its employees as well as pension to its pensioners," it said.
Nagar Nigam Shikshak Sangh general-secretary Ramnivas Solanki said that it's the best news they have heard in years. "Though we haven't received the salaries yet, the news has brought a wave of joy among the teachers as well as other staffers, who were struggling to even pay their children’s fees. We just hope our ordeal is over soon," said Solanki.
According to officials, the government stopped releasing the funds and had not released the payments for May, which ideally comes within the first 10 days of April.
"Our first priority is to address the financial crunch and pay off the pending salaries and pensions of employees. Over the past five years, the government has been only partially releasing funds due to the municipal corporations, which had crippled the erstwhile three corporations. We are working on consolidating resources to bring the civic body out of the financial crisis," said a senior civic official.
MCD chief meets newly-appointed L-G
NEW DELHI: Municipal Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti on Tuesday met city's newly-appointed lieutenant governor (L-G) Vinai Kumar Saxena in a courtesy visit, said official of the civic body.
On the occasion, the commissioner informed the L-G about the work related to the unification of the three erstwhile municipal corporations and also apprised him for the steps taken to provide better and improved civic amenities to the citizens of Delhi, which so far was hampered because of unequal distribution of area and financial crisis.
Bharti said that he looks forward for L-G's guidance and support for the same. While the newly-unified MCD does not have an elected House and is being run by a Special Officer, L-G is the administrator of the civic body till such time elections are held.
