HC to hear plea against proposed MCD strike

The Delhi High Court today agreed to hear tomorrow a plea seeking to restrain the civic bodies in the national capital from going on strike again.
The matter was mentioned before a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva which directed that it be listed for hearing tomorrow.
The petition was filed by a lawyer who moved the court as an association of MCD unions has again called a strike on July 22 demanding primarily reunification of the three corporations as well as payment of pending salaries and other arrears.
The association also made other demands which include declaration of sanitation workers as technical employees, timely payment of terminal benefits of retired and deceased employees, pension benefits, cashless medical card facility as well as providing houses to them.

The petitioner, Sanjeev Kumar Arora, said that proposed strike of July 22 "is of much wider consequence" as it has been called by all the employees of the Municipal Corporations of Delhi and thus it will "jeopardise the health, safety and normal life of the people" of the city.
"The proposed strike is also a potential serious threat in the ensuing monsoon season..., the plea, filed through advocate Ramit Malhotra, said.

It said that work for "preventing and checking spread of dangerous diseases, like dengue," could also stop as a result of the strike.
It also said that as a result of the strike, sanitation workers could refrain from cleaning the garbage on the streets which could lead to creation of a "unhealthy and polluted environment" apart from hampering reputation of the national capital.

The petitioner sought directions to the Centre, Delhi government, Lt Governor and the MCDs to take necessary steps to prevent strike called by the association as well as to prevent such incidents in future.