AAP slams Delhi civic body over staff regularisation delays

The comments by the AAP came a day after Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena handed over regularisation letters to 187 MCD sanitation workers. On Saturday, the LG said that MCD has prepared a policy for regularising sanitation workers in 1978

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party for regularising only a handful of sanitation workers of the total more than 27000 municipal sanitation workers.

AAP MLA and party MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak said It is shameful that the BJP has put up hoardings all over Delhi to advertise regularisation of just 187 employees (ANI)

AAP MLA and party MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak said It is shameful that the BJP has put up hoardings all over Delhi to advertise regularisation of just 187 employees. “BJP has always cheated the Safai Karamcharis by making false promises of regularisation in its successive election manifestos and the workers had to face disappointment after each election,” he added.

The comments by the AAP came a day after Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena handed over regularisation letters to 187 MCD sanitation workers. On Saturday, the LG said that MCD has prepared a policy for regularising sanitation workers in 1978. In the policy it was decided that MCD will regularise the sanitation workers in a phased manner.

Pathak added that the BJP’s 15-year rule in the MCDs has been marred by misgovernance. “Among all those wronged by the BJP in the MCD, the Safai Karamcharis of Delhi have suffered the most. The workers are the backbone of the sanitation system in Delhi. They face salary delays. There are 27,098 Safai Karamcharis waiting for regularisation. This is not just unfair to these people but akin to making a mockery of their hard work,” he alleged.

The BJP, however, said the AAP was spreading lies. Delhi BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that Aam Aadmi Party spokespersons are spreading lies, and hit back saying that in its 8-year rule in the Delhi government, the AAP has not regularised a single sanitation workers. “Durgesh Pathak tried to mislead civic sanitary workers that the MCD is deliberately not regularising their services. He said more then 27,000 municipal sanitary workers are awaiting regularisation of their service while the truth is despite a financial crunch, the corporation has regularised services of 1000 workers consistently since 1995,” he said.

He added that, “Let alone regularising their service, the Delhi government does not even directly hire them on temporary jobs. The Delhi government hires sanitary workers only on contract jobs through private contractors as a result the workers under the Delhi government get a salary of Rs. 11000 per month while temporary sanitary workers under MCD get Rs. 15000 to Rs. 24000 minimum wages depending on their service period,” he added. “Aam Aadmi Party should tell how many temporary daily wager safai karamcharis have been regularised or how many regular safai karamcharis have been hired by its Delhi government in last 8 years?”