The Delhi High Court today told the AAP government and the three municipal corporations here that they are responsible for paying salaries to the employees of civic bodies and cannot say they do not have the funds.
"You (government and civic bodies) cannot say we do not have the funds so we cannot release the salaries. You have a responsibility and if you will not comply with the directions then we will pass appropriate order," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath said.
The bench said this after it was informed that salaries for March were not paid to all the employees of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC).
Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, who appeared for EDMC, claimed they have paid salaries for March to all the employees.
"As far as the EDMC is concerned, we have paid all the salaries till March 2016," she said.
However, the employees union alleged that 50 per cent employees of EDMC have not been paid the salary of March.
The counsel appearing for the Delhi government informed the bench that funds have been released for paying salaries to the employees of EDMC.
The bench has fixed the matter for hearing on May 10 and has asked the employee unions to file affidavit if salaries are not paid to them till "7th of every month".
On April 19, the bench had directed the three civic bodies to ensure that the wages for the month of March be paid to all the sanitation workers "within a week without fail".
It had directed the civic bodies to pay regular salaries to the safai karamcharis "on or before 7th of every month" for smooth functioning of corporations, whose employees frequently go on strike due to non-payment of salaries.
The court had also said the Delhi government shall process
the financial statements submitted by the corporations for the year 2015-16 and ensure that the amounts to which the corporations were entitled under head Municipal Reform Fund (MRF) be released within four weeks.
The court's order had come on pleas seeking release of salaries in the first week of each month.
During the hearing today, Delhi government's counsel told the bench that process of releasing funds under MRF was going on.
In January, petitioner Rahul Birla had moved the court when safai karamcharis had gone on strike, claiming the authorities were not paying salaries and arrears to the MCD workers.
He had said workers of North, South and East Delhi Municipal Corporations had gone on strike in 2015 too leading to "accumulation of garbage for number of days at different places".
Another petitioner Birender Sangwan had sought lifting of garbage littered on streets here due to safai karamcharis' strike in January and that the strike be called off as it was causing hardship to public.
The employees had later called off the strike after their salaries till January were paid.
