8,000 north MCD teachers on Covid-19 duty not paid salary for three months

A 35-year-old teacher working at a school in Budh Vihar said he is unable to even purchase groceries and shops are refusing to give items on credit.

Nearly 8,000 teachers in the 714 North Delhi Municipal Corporation-run schools, who are currently deployed at the government’s food distribution centres amid the Covid-19 pandemic, have not been paid salaries for the last three months.

The MCD teachers association has warned the government of going on indefinite strike against the non-payment of salaries immediately after the lockdown is lifted. (Burhaan Kinu/HT PHOTO)

While many said that they are not being able to repay their loans and school fees of their children, some are struggling to even provide the basic necessities to their dependents. Niket Giri, a teacher at a municipal school in Mangolpuri, said that he has two loans to repay and five dependents to look after in the family. “I am working during a pandemic without thinking twice about the safety of my family. This is when I am not being paid (salary) for the three months. It’s become so difficult to survive now. I had to pay instalments of Rs 30,000 per month to the bank. For the last three months I have been borrowing money from friends’ and relatives to repay the loan,” he said.

A 35-year-old teacher working at a school in Budh Vihar said he is unable to even purchase groceries and shops are refusing to give items on credit. “We are distributing ration and cooked food among those in need but who will take care of our families?” he said.

The MCD teachers association has warned the government of going on indefinite strike against the non-payment of salaries immediately after the lockdown is lifted. In the last three months, the association has written multiple letters to Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia, north MCD officials, members of the opposition party in the Capital and even to the Prime Minister Office seeking intervention. “While the teachers of east and south MCD schools have received their salaries, those working in north MCD schools are not being paid since March. We can’t go on strike amid the lockdown since it’s prohibited under the Delhi Disaster Management Act. We have also started sending out messages to the parents of our students seeking support,” said Ramnivas Solanki, president of the association.

When contacted, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who holds education and finance portfolios, said, “We have given all dues till May. MCD should tell where they have used the money.”

Authorities at North corporation said that they have not received funds from the Delhi government to pay the salaries. Avtar Singh, mayor of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, said that the municipality has been trying to explore all the options to generate revenue to pay the salaries of their employees. “We understand the issues teachers and their families must be facing. We have been requesting the Delhi government to release all our pending funds. They should, in fact, give us extra funds keeping in mind how these teachers are risking their lives and working amid the pandemic,” he said.

Solanki said that the government and the MCD should not let the teachers suffer. “The Delhi government always says it’s paid the money but the MCD maintains that they have not received sufficient funds. They should not let 8,000 families suffer because of their politics,” he said.