The Delhi High Court on Tuesday pulled up the city government for not disbursing funds to the municipal corporations for salaries of staff according to recommendations of the fourth Delhi Finance Commission (DFC).
Hearing a batch of writ petitions seeking adequate funds to the three municipal corporations to enable their proper functioning, a Bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V.K. Rao said, “You [the Delhi government] could have said let the payments be made till legal issues are settled. But you want your pound of flesh.”
“The poor employees are working unpaid without bread and butter as politicians fight among themselves. Our concern is for the poor workers,” the court said.
Appeal in SC
However, the Bench did not issue any directions. It listed the matter for hearing on October 25 as the Supreme Court is hearing the Delhi government’s appeal against the High Court’s April 16 and May 21 orders directing implementation of the fourth DFC recommendations.
The Delhi government told the High Court that the apex court had on September 12 sought the corporations’ stand on the appeal and listed it for hearing on October 22.
Salaries and pensions
The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) told the Bench that its sanitation workers have been on strike since September 12 due to non-payment of salaries. The High Court had on May 21 asked the city government to release the funds required by the North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations for payment of salaries and pensions from November 2017.