Amid the tussle between East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the workers still continue to be on strike for the fifth consecutive day and said they will end the strike only when their dues are paid.
The EDMC on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the AAP-led Government over the dire financial status of the East municipal body while the AAP national spoke person Dilip Pandey claimed that 10-year misrule of BJP in corporation is a key reason of halting civic services across the Capital.
“The ruling party, despite receiving more than double fund from the Delhi Government in the last two fiscals, has even failed to pay salaries of sanitation workers which prove that the leaders have diverted the fund to their own pockets. It is shameful that the corporations are unable to execute their obligatory duty of maintaining sanitation of the city but here no sign of responsibility is being reflected. The Government has given Rs 702 crore in 2015-2016 and Rs 605 crore in 2016-2017. The BJP ruled corporation should explain that where the amount is going and why workers are not being paidIJ,” said Dilip Pandey.
EDMC Mayor Satya Sharma said, “Instead of working on a solution for the cash strapped corporation, the Delhi Government is doing politics over the issue. It is the style of functioning of the Delhi Government which has compelled our staff to go on strike to seek their hard earned salaries. They have not released any amount for salary. The fund released is out of our due grant-in-aid in non-plan. We met Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday evening but we got no satisfactory assurance on the issue.”
The strike has resulted in garbage pile-up across the national Capital.
Since 2015, east corporation sanitation workers have gone on strike five times over non-payment of salary. This time, it is over non-payment of their three month salaries. Sanitation workers on strike have blamed the Delhi Government and EDMC for not resolving issues in time.