New Delhi: The Delhi High Court pulled up Thursday ‘irresponsible’ authorities for not paying salaries and pensions to employees of the three municipal corporations here. The high court said that if things don’t change and go on like this, it will not be surprised if the political leaders and people who indulge in this are lynched by the public at large. The high court directed the Delhi government to transfer back within two weeks to the municipal corporations and local bodies the amount recovered or adjusted from them against their outstanding loans.
“In our view, the deduction of loan made by the Delhi government in these circumstances is not called for, particularly when the recovery of loan by the MCDs had been in consideration for the last over three years,” a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said.
The high court said the problem of shortage of funds and non-payment of salaries has arisen as the Delhi government has been sandwiched between the MCDs and the central government, which belonged to the opposite political party.
“Tell your political leaders they have to mature and rise above all this. If things don’t change and go on like this, we will not be surprised if the political leaders and people who indulge in this are lynched by the public at large,” the bench observed orally.
Justice Sanghi said, “I can’t tell how disgusted we are with all of you (Delhi government and municipal corporations). You have no concern for employees. You are behaving completely irresponsibly and do not care about the poor employees and retired pensioners at all.”
The bench was hearing various petitions relating to non-payment of salaries of employees and pensioners of different cadres by the three municipal corporations of Delhi – North, East and South. The list of petitioners includes doctors, nurses, paramedic staff, safai karamcharis, teachers, class-IV employees, teachers and retired staff like teachers and engineers.
During the hearing, the bench questioned the Delhi government for having money to give huge advertisements in newspapers regularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It warned the government of ordering an inquiry and audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
“How much you have sent on advertisements during the pandemic, we want to know. We will order an inquiry and order by the CAG. You were giving a daily half-page and full page in every other newspaper. You have money for these advertisements,” it said.
The bench said it’s these safai karamcharis who clean houses of others daily and they are not paid by the authorities. “We will tell them not to come for work from tomorrow, if they are not paid. Let us see how your houses and hospitals are cleaned then. We are ashamed of you and your leaders, they way you are behaving,” the judges said. They added , that the MCDs and Delhi government were fighting with each other like ‘cats and dogs’.
During the hearing, Delhi government counsel Satyakam informed the court that a sanction order was passed to release Rs 337 crore to five local bodies including three MCDs for January to March 2021 without making any deduction towards loan. He also said the revenue of Delhi government has taken a serious hit due to the pandemic in the financial year 2020-21.