Mayors blame CM for financial crunch, ongoing strike of sanitation workers

 Even though the Delhi government has announced the release of more than Rs 500 crore for cash-strapped North and East Corporations, the stand-off between AAP government and BJP-ruled MCDs is unlikely to get resolved. 

The Corporations, which have announced all-out war against the Delhi government over releasing of funds, have <g data-gr-id="40">rued</g> that the money announced by the government is insufficient and will not help the Corporations to come out from financial crisis. 

“Although Kejriwal announced to release funds but failed to provide the necessary details. His motive is to politicise the matter which is very unfortunate. He has intentionally stopped global share of the Corporation and now releasing the money in the form of a loan. If he would have released the money as a grant, we would have thanked him,” said Harshdeep <g data-gr-id="49">Malhota</g>, Mayor of East MCD.  

In order to mount pressure on the government, Mayors of all three Corporations and councillors from the ruling party sat on a dharna at Civic Centre on Monday, demanding immediate release of <g data-gr-id="45">fund</g> by the government. 

The Mayors blamed Arvind Kejriwal-led government responsible for <g data-gr-id="35">financial</g> crisis of the Corporations and for the ongoing strike of the <g data-gr-id="37">safai</g> <g data-gr-id="38">karmis</g> (sanitation workers). 

Meanwhile, garbage continued to pile up in parts of Delhi amid the ongoing strike, even as a section of them protested in front of Kejriwal’s residence ahead of his meeting with them.  

The councillors, who staged the protest, condemned the move of the Delhi Chief Minister terming it unwarranted, unconstitutional and intervention in the autonomy of the local bodies. The councillors said that despite this, employees of all three Corporations are in trouble due non-payment of their salaries while the state government is busy in unfair practices.  

Mayor of North Delhi Ravinder Gupta said that the Chief Minister is politicising the issue of release of salaries of employees on the condition of having direct dialogue with the employees of all three Corporations in the name of addressing their grievances. Mayor of EDMC termed this move as unconstitutional and infringement of the statutory rights of the Corporation. 

South MCD Mayor Subhash Arya said this move is totally a politically-motivated one and a direct intervention in the functioning of the local bodies constituted as per the Constitution.  

Angry over non-payment of salaries, MCD workers protested outside Kejriwal’s residence for nearly five hours. Contractual employees of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and Reproductive and Child Health programme (RCH) also participated. 

“We are on strike for the past one week due to non-payment of our salaries. Even after refusing to collect garbage and <g data-gr-id="48">cleansing</g> roads and streets, the authorities are unwilling to pay heed to our needs,” said Rajendra Mewati, president of Delhi Pradesh <g data-gr-id="46">Safai</g> <g data-gr-id="47">Majdoor</g> Union.