Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal yesterday announced a loan of Rs5.5bn for payment of salaries to protesting workers of two municipal corporations in the national capital and urged them to call off their strike.
Employees of three civic bodies - North Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi Municipal Corporation and East Delhi Municipal Corporation - have been protesting against the non-payment of salaries, directing their ire at both the Delhi and central governments for the last eight days.
“We are giving Rs551 crore to the north and east municipal corporations as loan for payment of salaries of workers,” Kejriwal said in Bengaluru, where he is undergoing treatment at a naturopathy centre.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation will also be paid Rs1.42bn against the stamp duty bill.
“It is with great difficulty that we have been able to find this Rs550 crore for loan. The Delhi government is facing Rs3,000 crore value added tax shortfall,” Kejriwal said.
“We had to postpone some of our present commitments to the next year to manage this money,” he tweeted.
The strike by the civic employees entered the eighth day yesterday with thousands of workers blocking major roads and creating traffic jams and inconveniencing commuters.
As part of their agitation, sanitation workers of the civic bodies yesterday staged demonstrations on major roads in Delhi, including the National Highways that skirt it. Among others, traffic was blocked on east Delhi’s Vikas Marg, inconveniencing commuters.
Hospitals and schools run by civic bodies were also affected as doctors, hospital staff, teachers and school employees joined the protest.
Protesters dumped garbage on roads and set ablaze tyres at various places. With uncollected garbage strewn along roads, an overpowering stench pervaded most municipal areas.