MCD schedule of posts audit in Delhi crosses its June 30 deadline

The schedule of establishment is a document that details the staff structure and hierarchy of the corporation’s officials

Even as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is yet to finish an independent audit of its staff strength, the civic body has overshot the deadline for approving a new schedule of establishment without which it will not be able to disburse salaries to civic employees, senior officials aware of the matter said on Monday.

The audit was expected to be finished by June 15, and cleared by June 30. (File)

The schedule of establishment is a document that details the staff structure and hierarchy of the corporation’s officials. This includes their designations, grades and hierarchy and their salaries, fee and allowances.

A senior municipal official who asked not to be named said the new schedule of establishment also known as schedule of posts should have been cleared before June 30. The civic body has roped in a multinational consultancy to conduct an independent audit for determining the number of workers and officers required by the corporation after the unification of the erstwhile North, South and East civic bodies. The audit was expected to be finished by June 15, after which a new schedule of posts was to be approved by the MCD House.

“Currently, MCD is operating without a formal schedule of posts and hence no salaries or benefits can be released for MCD workers beyond June 30. We hope to secure an anticipatory approval for an extension from the mayor in the coming days to avoid any crisis. Currently, we are focused on clearing the salary backlog,” the first official said.

An MCD spokesperson said that the audit of posts is nearly complete and the process will be finalised in coming days.

A second official said the audit process is still incomplete, and the outcomes from various departments are being compiled in a common report.

Promise of a leaner and more efficient civic bureaucracy was one of the stated objectives of the unification of the erstwhile three municipal corporations that was finalised in May 2022 with the Parliament amending the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act. On September 21 last year, the unified MCD shelved 3,141 posts reducing the number of MCD employees from 150,557 to 147,417.

Anil Gupta, who retired as the chief law officer of MCD, said the money from municipal corporation’s consolidated fund cannot be drawn for salaries unless the elected councillors approve the schedule of establishment. “As an interim measure, an extension may be granted to resolve the situation but the report should have been finalised before the June 30 deadline,” Gupta said.

While clearing the annual budget and schedule of posts on March 29, the Aam Aadmi Party-ruled MCD resolved that the current approval for schedule of posts will last for three months.

Former South MCD mayor and BJP’s Dwarka councillor Kamaljeet Sehrawat said the schedule of posts has always been passed for a duration of one year. “There has never been such an exercise (audit) in the past and the whole system has been reduced to a joke. The contractual workers are being provided extensions for few months and things are being run on ad-hoc basis,” she said.

Mayor Shelly Oberoi did not respond to requests for comment.