Contracts of 3,112 dengue breeding checking staff renewed: Delhi mayor

Contracts of 3,112 dengue breeding checking (DBC) staff of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi have been renewed for a year without any contractual service break, Mayor Shelly Oberoi said on Friday.

The DBC staff are considered the backbone of the civic body's system in combating vector-borne diseases in the city.

"Contracts of our DBC workers have been renewed for a year with effect from April 1, 2023. Their service contract has been renewed without any break. We will resolve issues of other employees too," she told reporters.

A senior official said the previous contract ended on March 31 and according to an order issued on April 27, those were to be renewed retrospectively from April 3, 2023, till March 31, 2024.

 

However, a corrigendum was later issued mentioning that the period of renewed contract will be from "01.04.2023 to 31.03.2024 without break instead of 03.04.2023 to 31.03.2024", the official said quoting the order.

Approval has been granted for the creation of 3,112 temporary posts of DBCs for this period, the order says.

Asked about the salaries of sanitation workers and many employees pending for March, Oberoi said that she will look into the matter and issue an order soon.

This decision of renewing the contracts of DBC workers without break will ensure that they receive their salaries without any interruption, she said.

The mayor said the decision was taken "in line with the vision of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has always been committed to resolving the concerns of MCD workers in a timely and speedy manner".

The DBC workers play an essential role in the city and renewal of their contracts without any break is a "crucial step towards ensuring their job security and financial stability," she said.

Oberoi added that the AAP government was committed to providing a conducive work environment for all workers. The contracts have been renewed from April 1, "a practice that was not being followed in the previous years," she said.

Complaints of all MCD workers and employees, whether teachers, DBC workers or staffers in the horticulture department will be resolved in a timely and speedy manner as and when they arise, the mayor said.

The priority of the MCD is to fulfil the 10 guarantees announced by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, which includes supporting and caring for all MCD workers, she added.

Leader of the House in MCD, Mukesh Goyal said the priority of the civic body is to give assured support to its workers in all their work and address their concerns and grievances.

The MCD mayor on Friday handed over a permanent job appointment letter to the wife of a sanitation worker who had lost his life in a road accident while on duty. "This marks the first time in MCD history that a family has been given a permanent job after the death of a contractual worker," her office claimed in a statement.

During her visit to the deceased worker's home, Oberoi extended her condolences and presented a financial assistance cheque of Rs 13.72 lakh, it said. He assured the family that they will be provided with all possible help from the MCD during this difficult time.

The worker, Raj Kumar, was on duty in the Karol Bagh Zone when he died in a road accident.

Oberoi and Deputy Mayor Aaley Mohammad Iqbal visited the bereaved family to offer their condolences. The appointment letter was handed over to Rajni, the wife of the deceased, along with the financial assistance cheque, the statement said.