NDMC Mahasangh moves to defend 274 contractual staff

New Delhi: The NDMC Mahasangh Joint Action Committee has now moved to defend 274 long-term contractual employees who risk termination due to a complaint filed against them before the Delhi Lokayukta.

RTI activist Anil Mathur has filed a complaint with the Lokayukta, CBI, and the PMO, alleging that as many as 274 contractual employees of the NDMC had been hired illegally. Illegal, because these appointments were made without placing newspaper advertisements or conducting typing (qualification) tests. These contractual employees include data entry operators, 'Grade A' clerical assistants, junior stenographers, etc., hired between 2010-2015. However, the list of such so-called illegally hired employees sent to the Lokayukta's office includes employees hired as far back as 2000.

"I applied several times, was asked to finally take a typing test, and was then appointed in 2000. My contract kept getting extended every year or so. I have been employed here for almost 20 years, then how can they now say that I was hired illegally?", asked one contractual data entry operator.

"The NDMC Act empowers the chairman to appoint anyone to a class 3 post for 6 months, such as data entry operators and clerks. The NDMC Council has the power to pass resolutions or regulations pertaining to an employee's tenure, salary, and pension. Therefore the

NDMC Chairman had made several appointments on a contractual basis, at different times, based on staff shortage", an NDMC employee said. "In 2014, the NDMC Council under MP Meenakshi Lekhi had said we (contractual employees) work hard, helped in

organising the commonwealth games, but do not receive appropriate benefits. So, a resolution granting us equal pay was passed".

As per NDMC resolution 14 (H-10), passed on August 27, 2014, contractual employees were granted a long-term 5-year contract and all the benefits of pay and allowance were given to regular employees. However, to date, this has not been implemented and employees have said that they still received considerably lower pay. "We have been working here for 15-20 years but are still not getting equal pay", another employee said.

This case will be presented before Lokpal Reva Ketrapal on September 29.

"Whenever there is any NDMC work, for example, recently there was a staff shortage in a school, then contractual data entry operators are sent for it. I was asked to go and finish the task within three days or I would be terminated. Thankfully, I made sure to get a certificate from the school principal as proof because when I returned, I was accused of neglecting my duty", an employee said.

"Maybe the permanent employees don't want us to get the same salary as them", another contractual data entry operator, who has been working for the NDMC for over a decade, said.