Govt offer fails to break mosquito checkers stir

STRIKE GOES ON As the Capital reported dengue cases, domestic breeding checkers say they want basic facilities such as leave, provident funds and bonus

NEW DELHI: To end the indefinite strike of domestic breeding checkers (DBCS), the North Delhi Municipal Corporation announced to engage them for whole year instead of eight months. However, the DBCS are unhappy with the announcement and have decided to continue with their strike, demanding the implementation of ‘uniform policy’ for DBCS in all three MCDS.

The civic agency also assured to look into their other demands during a joint meeting held on Tuesday.

“We have accepted DBCS demand for employing them for 12 months without any break. Civic agency will also pay them salary for whole year, as per rules,” said Tilak Raj Kataria, standing committee chairman of North Corporation.

There are 3,500 DBCS in three municipal corporations, who have been sitting on indefinite strike since March 12 as their long-standing demands of regularisation, leave, provident funds, bonus and other medical facilities haven’t been met.

The strike started at a time when city is experiencing an early spread of the dengue virus this year.

“We are not asking for something which is against the Delhi Municipal Corporation’s Act. We have even given up our demand for regularisation of DBCS but they should give us at least basic facilities such as leave, provident funds, bonus and other medical facilities,” said Madan Lal, general secretary Anti-malaria Ekta Karamchari Union.

“While South Corporation has agreed to provide these benefits, we have not received any confirmation from North and East corporations. Rather, a notice has been issued saying that we will be terminated from jobs if we do not return to work from March 28,” said Devanand Sharma, a member of the Anti-malaria Ekta Kar- amchari Union.

DBC workers also met the South Corporation commissioner Puneet Goel on Tuesday. They appealed to consider their demand on humanitarian grounds.

The leaders of North Corporation said that they will consider other demands in due course of time. “We have accepted their main demand and rest will be managed as they come back to work. We appeal to them to join their duties and call off the agitation,” said Kataria.

Mayor of North Corporation Preeti Aggarwal demanded the Delhi government to release its pending funds to pay the salaries of the sanitation staff and DBCS.

RUCKUS IN HOUSE MEETING

The house meeting of North Corporation witnessed chaotic scenes on Tuesday over the complaints from some councillors regarding the nominated members using the privileges of elected councillors.

The issue was raised by the councillors of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, who alleged that the nominated aldermen are putting their posters and claiming them to be the ‘councillors’.

“Nominated members have put up boards identifying themselves as councillors. A delusion is being created, we will take legal action against them. Nominated

AAP councillors are misusing their status,” said Preeti Aggarwal, North Corporation mayor.

Due to the ongoing strike called by contractual sanitation workers and DBCS, the house started an hour later. The protesting workers had allegedly locked down the gates of the civic centre.

The matter for providing them basic benefits was supposed to be discussed in house but it could not happen due ruckus over the aldermen issue.

During the meeting, mayor suspended one councillor, Ram Narayan Bharadwaj (from Aam Aadmi Party), for allegedly engaging in verbal abuse with her.