On the non-payment of salaries to MCD staff serving as frontline Covid warriors : doctors, nurses, health and lab workers, sanitary staff & school teachers; former EC members Dr A K Bhagi, I M Kapahy, Dr N K Kakkar, Naresh Beniwal along with current EC members V S Negi and Rajesh Gogna of University of Delhi, has come in open support for the early release of their salaries. They have written for the intervention of LG of Delhi for the same and also sent copies of their letter to CM of Delhi and PMO.
In a letter written to LG of Delhi, they argued that it is inhuman and unpardonable on part of Delhi Government for not releasing funds to pay salaries to the employees of Municipal Corporations of Delhi. It has resulted into non payment of salaries for between three to four months even to the frontline Covid warriors : doctors, nurses, health and lab workers, sanitary staff. Similarly school teachers who are also in duty for PDS distribution are denied salaries and retired employees their pensions.
In a statement, it has been stated that in these Coronavirus stressful times, the Covid front line workers are playing a vital role to save lives of Delhiites, one of the worst infected megacity of India. Truly they are fighting existential battle for all of us Delhiites. Imagine a lowly paid sanitary worker, one of the most important component of keeping Delhi clean for arresting the spread of the virus and the one who does it despite a huge risk to his or her life, denied salary even to survive. There are heart wrenching incidents of their families facing problems of arranging food because they have run out of money. Similarly, doctors and other medical staff are also facing huge financial problems owing to non payment of salaries. Their financial reserves are running out. Teachers and other Municipal employees of Delhi are also under similar strains. It is the moral sense of duty to humanity of these Covid warriors of Delhi which is motivating them to continue to work and not to protest. The Doctors Association has given ultimatum of five days to the government to release their due salaries or they will resign en masse.
Even those health worker who are Corporation employees are serving people of Delhi. It is patently immoral on the part of Delhi government to stop the due grants to three Municipal Corporations on one excuse or the other. Many doctors, nurses and sanitary workers have contracted Covid infection in line of duty. Imagine the medical havoc that shall be caused if the municipal services crash to a halt. It shall be a medical catastrophe.
They urged the LG to take immediate measures to persuade Delhi Government headed by Sh Arvind Kejriwal to release the grants to the three Corporations so that salaries can be paid.
Earlier they had drawn attention of the Delhi Government at the non release of grants to its twelve fully funded colleges constituent of DU. Despite repeated reminders teachers and employees of these colleges , which number over 2500, are paid only partial salaries.
In Delhi, there are many big hospitals maintained by the Union government and CGHS dispensaries. They bear quite a huge burden of medical care for Delhi citizens. However, the situation in hospitals maintained by Delhi Govt is quite dismal. Even the doctors, nurses and other employees have pointed out dismal working conditions prevailing there.
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