New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS): Reacting to the long-standing demand of the MCD employees' unions to end the division of the three civic bodies in Delhi, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Mayor Mukesh Suryan has said that he will support the Central government's decision.
The unions of the three municipalities have been asking for the unification the three civic bodies -- the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation. The three civic bodies in Delhi were formed nine years ago.
In view of the deteriorating condition of the three civic bodies, the Confederation of MCD Employees Union had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising the demand to end the division and form a single municipal body to solve the civic administration problems.
The financial condition of the Delhi civic bodies has become quite frail, the SDMC Mayor admitted that all the three civic bodies were short of adequate funds.
Mukesh Suryan told IANS, "If the Central government takes any decision on this issue, I will accept that decision. We were not against it earlier as well, we just want to do good work."
In 2012 the MCD was divided into three parts, but at present their financial condition is not steady due to which the employees are not receiving salaries on time.
According to the MCD employees, in some cases they are yet to receive salaries and pensions for several months together and sometimes even asked to retire involuntarily without receiving full salaries.
According to other MCD employee union members, there have never been problems concerning the salaries of the employees in the past, but since the division, these problems have become common now.
According to the MCD Union, there are nearly 1.5 lakh employees in all three Delhi civic bodies, and nearly 55,000 civic body staff pensioners. This means two lakh families are directly dependent upon these municipal bodies. The civic bodies provide nearly 50 facilities to the residents of Delhi.
The SDMC Mayor slammed the Delhi government and said, "This is the first such state government which has nothing to speak for itself. We accomplished 10 tasks, there may be several shortcomings in them. The ruling Delhi government must talk about even one task undertaken by them."
The MCD elections are scheduled to be held in Delhi next year. Mukesh Suryan said, "Although we have hundreds of issues to highlight before the public, we do not do that. When the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic struck the country, the Delhi Chief Minister fled away leaving the people of Delhi behind."
He said, "The civic bodies in Delhi were badly affected with the onslaught of the Covid-19 infection, but the employees fought as corona warriors diligently in which some succumbed to the infection. Despite the trying circumstances, there was full cooperation among all the civic employees in setting up isolation centres, vaccination centres, etc."
"We have worked hard for the maintenance of parks in Delhi and have brought a revolution in the field of education. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, as many as 1.15 lakh new school admissions were conducted, online classes conducted, constant interactions with school principals about the children was done. This is no small feat."
On the other hand, reacting over the Domestic Breeding Checker (DCB) employees, SDMC Mayor said, "We have sent a file twice to the Delhi government regarding the post-grade of the employees, but the intentions of the state government are not good as they know that if we give this permission to the civic bodies, they will have to bear the burden of providing salaries to the civic body staff."
"But we demand that the Delhi government must give us the permission and need to pay our salaries. The municipal bodies have yet to receive Rs 13,000 crore from the Delhi government. But today the civic bodies are short of funds."