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MCD employees extend strike indefinitely, AAP suspects salary scam

January 30, 2016

[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]E[/dropcap]mployees of three civic bodies here on Friday announced to extend their strike for an indefinite time period against the Delhi government over the non-payment of dues, while the AAP government termed the entire sequence of events “an indication towards a massive salary scam”.

“It was a symbolic strike for three days but since no one from the government assured us that our demands would be considered, we have decided to boycott work for indefinite time period,” Sanjay Gehlot, president of the Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukta Morcha, told IANS.

“Tomorrow (Saturday), we will protest at Delhi assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel’s home in Vivek Vihar (in east Delhi) and dump garbage there,” he said.

Over 1.5 lakh workers of three civic bodies had begun their three-day strike on Wednesday.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]E[/dropcap]arlier in the day the striking employees of the three MCDs had dumped garbage outside the residence of Transport Minister Gopal Rai.

“We will continue to dump garbage on roads till they (government) feel ashamed,” a protester said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in a statement said that the three corporations have themselves admitted having received 100 percent of the non-plan funds – Rs.892.92 crore for North MCD, Rs.465.53 crore for East MCD and Rs.830 crore for South MCD for the current financial year.

“It is clear that 90 percent of the non-planned allocation is for payment of salaries, then why the MCD employees have not been paid their salaries?” it asked.

“The sequence of events indicates towards a massive salary scam in these corporations,” the statement added.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]M[/dropcap]eanwhile, the Delhi unit of Bharatiya Janata Party wrote an open letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the financial crisis of municipal corporations, with state unit chief Satish Upadhyay urging him to rise above party politics and discharge his responsibilities to the people of Delhi.

Upadhyay also requested Kejriwal to release about Rs. 3000 crores to the municipal corporations pending on the basis of the recommendations of 3rd Delhi Finance Commission.

He also announced that the BJP workers on Saturday would assemble at Nirman Vihar Metro Station in east Delhi and march towards Delhi Secretariat in support of agitating employees.

Striking employees of Delhi’s three civic bodies on Thursday had protested and dumped garbage outside Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s office, while Kejriwal had sought fresh election to the three civic bodies.

(IANS)