Delhi govt releases ₹938 crore to pay salaries of MCD staff

Jain also pointed out that in the process of disbursing the salaries the Delhi government had to reduce the budget of the Delhi government’s other departments.

Delhi minister Satyendra Jain on Thursday announced that the Delhi government will release ₹938 crore to pay salaries of employees of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain speaks to media during a press conference. (ANI Photo)

Jain also pointed out that in the process of disbursing the salaries the Delhi government had to reduce the budget of the Delhi government’s other departments. “After reducing the budget of several departments of Delhi govt, we are releasing ₹938 crores to pay for the salaries of MCD employees,” Jain was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Earlier in the day, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia lashed out at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for mishandling Delhi MCD’s funds. Sisodia alleged that the BJP has left the MCD bankrupt.

“North and East municipal corporations are bankrupt, they have ₹12 crores & ₹99 lakh in their bank accounts respectively. They have a loan amount of ₹6,276 crores to be paid to the Delhi govt. BJP has left the MCDs bankrupt,” Sisodia was quoted as saying by ANI.

Sisodia also said that even BJP leaders have accepted that MCD is facing issues due to corruption. “In 14 years of corrupt rule, BJP has sucked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) dry. The municipal corporations are not in a state to pay the salaries of their employees. Even BJP leaders have agreed that corruption is at its peak in MCD,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said.

MCD workers also announced that they will not resume their duties if they do not receive their salaries. These workers have been sitting on an indefinite strike since January 7 demanding that their pending salaries be cleared immediately.

The AAP and the BJP on previous occassions have hotly debated the issue concerning the municipal corporations in Delhi. In December, several BJP mayors held protests outside chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence demanding dues of ₹13,000 crore from the AAP government in order to pay the salaries of MCD workers. The AAP government had then alleged misappropriation of funds in North Delhi MCD and ordered a probe against them.