AAP govt secures jobs for 607 contractual workers in MCD
New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) regularized 607 sanitation workers on Wednesday. Chief Minister Atishi Marlena and Mayor Shelly Oberoi distributed the regularisation letters to the workers who had been working in temporary positions for years. Thousands of other contractual sanitation workers still await their regularisation.
Atishi, addressing the workers ahead of the occasion of Valmiki Jayanti, lauded their contribution to keeping the city clean under difficult conditions. “Following the principles of Mahatma Valmiki and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, our government has always stood for the welfare of marginalised communities. Today, we are fulfilling our promise by giving sanitation workers their due. These workers are the backbone of our city’s cleanliness, and this regularisation is long overdue,” she said.
The Chief Minister emphasised that, under AAP’s leadership, sanitation workers no longer have to struggle for their basic rights, such as timely salaries. “There was a time when workers had to protest for months because they weren’t being paid. Now, under the Kejriwal government, they receive their salaries in the first week of every month,” she added. For many workers, the letter brought a sense of relief and security. Manju, one of the sanitation workers, expressed her happiness. “I have no more demands for now. After waiting for so long, I am finally regularised, and it feels like a burden has been lifted. My husband died serving as a contractual worker itself.” she said.
Babita, a sanitation worker, called for more job vacancies, expressing gratitude for her regularisation but concern for her unemployed, educated children. Sardar Raja Iqbal Singh, Leader of the Opposition in the MCD, criticised the timing of the regularisation, claiming it stemmed from a BJP-led proposal rejected by Arvind Kejriwal in 2021. Singh accused Kejriwal of avoiding accountability for the MCD’s financial issues and noted his frustration over being initially excluded from the event. Mayor Shelly Oberoi, relaying Kejriwal’s message, highlighted the regularisation of 607 workers as part of fulfilling electoral promises and enhancing workers’ dignity.
