Demanding release of their salaries, the municipal employees — including doctors, nurses, teachers and sanitation workers — on Tuesday took out a protest march from the Civic Centre to Rajghat carrying begging bowls in their hands to draw attention to their demands.
Major parts of the Capital witnessed severe traffic jam as protesters’ disrupted vehicular movement even as they dumped garbage at Delhi Government Ministers’ offices.
Protesting against non-payment for projects for the past three years, members of Delhi Municipal Contractors’ Association also marched with agitating municipal corporations’ workers. The contractors have decided to go on strike from February 10 if they don’t get their dues of `1,700 crore.
“Non-release of salaries is not a new issue and the demand of municipal employees is not new. What is happening is a result of negligence and irresponsibility of the Delhi Government, the Centre and municipal corporations,” said Jai Kishan, Patron of Joint Front of corporations’ staff union.
The municipal employees also staged dharnas in NH-24, Ghazipur, Civil lines, Shadipur depot, Karol Bagh and Nizzamuddin areas. Doctors, teachers, sanitation workers and beldars begged on the roads carrying begging bowls in their hands to protest against both the minicipal corporations and the Delhi Government.
“We marched from Civic Centre to Turkman gate to Rajghat with begging bowls in our hands. The Delhi Government and municipal corporations can reach a solution easily if they unify the corporation and disburse the salaries,” said Rajender Mewati, general secretary of the united front of municipal employees’ association.
Around 8,000 senior and resident doctors, 10,000 nurses as well as para-medical staff of seven hospitals and hundreds of polyclinics have also come on roads.
“We urge both the Delhi Government and the Centre to find a solution to end the strike. Thousands of people are suffering due to our strike which has been forced on us due to lack of any permanent solution to the issue of payment of salaries and other dues in time,” said Dr RR Gautam, president of Municipal Corporation Doctors’ Association.
Meanwhile, the indefinite strike by the municipal corporaration doctors has led to the death a 20-year-old women at Asia’s largest municipal Rajan Babu Tuberculosis Hospital on Tuesday. All the senior doctors, resident doctors, paramedical staff, technicians working with the municipal hospitals are on indefinite strike called by the sanitation workers, teachers, engineers, contractors demanding immediate release of their salaries for the past seven days. However, hospital authorities have denied the allegation that the patient died due to the health issue, not due to the strike as resident doctors were available in the hospital.
“The Delhi Government is trying to play politics over this issue. I invite an open debate with the Delhi Government in Constitution Club over issue of corporations’ funds,” said RP Singh, National Secretary of BJP.