Jung extends Rs.300-crore loan, civic staff refuse to budge

Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday announced a loan of Rs.300 crore to two municipal corporations of the city for payment of salaries to striking workers, but they refused to heed to his appeal to return to work.

The striking employees maintained that the funds provided by the Lt.Governor as well as Rs.551 crore loan announced by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were not enough to permanently solve their salary problems.

"Funds provided by the L-G as well as the Delhi government are just a temporary relief. We want a permanent solution to the crisis, so we have decided to continue our strike," Mazdoor Vikas Sanyukta Morcha president Sanjay Gehlot told IANS.

United Front of MCD Employees president Rajesh Mishra too said the "strike will continue".

"We do not want loan as a temporary relief. We want a permanent solution to the problem because we do not want to hit the streets again for similar demands," Mishra told IANS.

"The three corporations of Delhi should be merged and salaries of workers should be paid on time every month," Mishra demanded.

Earlier this week, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced Rs.551 crore to the North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations for payment of employees' salaries.

Employees of Delhi's civic bodies have been protesting over the non-payment of salaries for the past few months, and directing their ire at both the Delhi and central governments for the last 10 days.

Earlier in the morning, the striking workers staged a protest outside Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra's home in Yamuna Vihar area of north Delhi.