MCD councillors step up efforts to draw salaries

The civic body,which does not currently give salaries to its 272 councillors,has a four-point demand — a minimum salary of Rs 10,000 per month,group insurance amounting to Rs 5 lakh and a health facility. They are also demanding a hike in house meeting and Standing Committee meeting allowances from the existing Rs 300 to Rs 1,000.

At present,the MCD only gives phone bill allowances and House meeting/ standing committee meeting allowances.

The demand for salaries was first made four years ago. However,it was rejected by the Home ministry on the pretext that no corporation in the country — barring the Mumbai Municipal Corporation — pays any salary. When the MCD started its own fact-finding procedure,it found that there are a dozen corporations in the country which pay salaries,such as the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and the Ahmedabad Corporation.

The BJP claims the MCD had earlier sent a proposal to the Delhi government for fixing a salary for MCD members but it did not forward it to the Centre. “At that time,it said that it is going through a financial crunch. But that cannot be an excuse as the government does not have to spend money on giving us salaries. It will be paid from MCD’s own fund. The Delhi government,the Lieutenant-Governor and the Home Ministry only have to pass the bill in principle,” said Jagdish Mamgain,a councillor.