Mumbai: The BMC has paid over ₹3 crore in salaries to around 1,100 employees in its now-redundant octroi department since July, for literally doing nothing. The civic body unsuccessfully tried out a lottery system to deploy them in other departments. These employees include inspectors and superintendant-rank officers. Collection of octroi was stopped after the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
On September 11, the BMC issued a notification transferring 530 of them to the Assessment and Collection Department, using an innovative lottery system. However, erstwhile employees of the octroi department objected, saying the lottery system wouldn’t factor in their individual seniority. This, they claimed, could impact their careers, and approached the Industrial Court.
The court granted them interim relief, and directed that pending hearings and a decision on the main complaint, the BMC will not transfer senior employees while retaining junior ones in the assessment department. It also directed that only the conventional system followed by the BMC be used for transfers, with its permission.
Since October 31, the BMC, which has challenged the ruling in the Bombay Hight Court, has maintained its actions were bonafide. Advocate Vidula Patil, who is part of the legal counsel for 126 inspectors in the Industrial Court, said, “The BMC counsel told the court that they had tried their best, and instead of terminating services of the employees, it had transferred them. We argued that being transferred as clerks was a demotion, as they have already spent five years as clerks before being promoted to inspector. On October 28, the Industrial Court had issued interim directions to the BMC, which have been challenged in the HC. The next hearing is scheduled on November 7.”