AAP to protest against MCDs for non-payment of salaries

New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Demanding immediate disbursal of salaries to employees, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will held a protest against the BJP-ruled Municipal Corporations on Monday.

AAP leader of opposition in North Delhi Municipal Corporation, Vikas Goel said, "Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCD) employees have not received salary for three months. AAP demands immediate disbursal of salaries to municipal employees. If MCD can't pay its employees' salaries then the BJP leaders should resign."

AAP's leader of opposition in South Corporation, Prem Chauhan said, "South MCD's revenue is the highest among all the three corporations, yet its employees are not getting salary. AAP will gherao BJP outside Civic Center, protest at Civic Center, headquarters of North and South Delhi Municipal Corporations tomorrow to protest against non-payment of salaries to employees by the BJP-ruled MCDs."

Goel claimed that even the retired MCD employees haven't received their pension for the last two to three months.

The Leader of Opposition in the East Delhi Municipal Corporation Manoj Tyagi said, "The way we clean our homes for the Diwali season, in the same way all of MCDs sanitation workers have been working tirelessly to clean the entire city for the past 10 days. But it is so shameful that despite all the toiling, they don't receive their salaries. Retired employees of the corporations have also not received their pension even during the festive season."

Refuting AAP's claims, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor has said that it's shocking to see leaders of the opposition (LoPs) in three municipal corporations playing with the sentiments of municipal employees over pending salary issues.

"LoPs who are a part of the municipal system are aware that civic bodies are facing financial hardship as Delhi Government is not releasing pending municipal funds exceeding Rs 13,000 crore as per the recommendations of the third, fourth and fifth Delhi Finance Commission," Kapoor said.

Kapoor suggested that instead of doing lip service, the three LoPs ask Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to release pending municipal funds, so salaries can be paid on time. "The LOPs should note that municipal staff would never forgive the AAP government for repeatedly stopping their salaries by not releasing municipal funds," Kapoor added.