‘People at the top living like lords’: HC tells MCDS to list non-vital costs

The Delhi high court on Friday asked the city’s three civic bodies to disclose their non-essential expenses, including the perks availed by councillors and senior officers, while stating that it intends to stop such expenditure.

“People at the top are living like lords. Once they feel the pinch, the things will work out,” said the bench of justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli, adding that a paucity of funds in the municipal corporations could not be an excuse to deny employees their salaries, as they are at the front line of the civic bodies’ work.

Employees of the three municipal corporations in Delhi — north, east, and south — have routinely gone on strike in recent months over the non-payment of their salaries. Thousands of civic body staffers went on an “indefinite” strike on January 7, demanding their pay and pension be released.

The court on Friday said employees are being denied their fundamental right to receive salaries, which would affect the quality of life of the workers, and those dependent on them.

“The people who are working on the ground have not got their salaries. The councillor doesn’t care and will continue to roam around in their cars and use the powers of the civic body. When people at the top feel the pinch, then there will be some change. I am first going for the councillors. We want a system in place,” the court added.

The court was hearing several PILS claiming non-payment of salaries and pensions of serving and retired employees, including teachers, doctors and sanitation workers, of the corporations.

Spokespersons of the MCDS did not respond for a comment.