HC anguished over non-payment of MCD school teacher's, others salary

Anguished over non-payment of salaries to municipal school teachers for over four months, the Delhi High Court today rapped the authorities for the treatment they meted out to teachers, doctors nurses and sanitation workers saying this cannot be countenanced.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said, it was not just the teachers who were not getting paid, but even the doctors, nurses and safai karamcharis of the municipal corporations were also at the receiving end.
"There was a court order to pay wages to the teachers, but the authorities including the Delhi government have not complied with that direction," the bench said.

It also observed that "between the Delhi government and municipal corporations, the poor people of the society are suffering, who are only dependent on their monthly wages".
The bench was shocked to know that the teachers of the schools run by the East and North Delhi civic bodies were paid wages only till November last year. "What? You have not paid them since November? You cannot treat teachers like this. This cannot be countenanced. How can you expect the teachers to do a service if you do not pay them," the court said.
"It is truly unfortunate for the resident of Delhi that not only the teachers, but the doctors, nurse and corporation safai karamcharis are also not being paid their salaries timely," the bench noted.

It issued contempt notice to Delhi government and the commissioners of East and North Delhi Municipal Corporations and fixed the matter for further hearing on April 11.

The court also asked the Delhi government to inform it why the pay commission's recommendations have not been implemented and who is the custodian of funds that are to be released to the three corporations.
The bench was hearing an NGO's plea seeking contempt action against the two Municipal Corporations for alleged violation of the high court's January 5 direction to clear all arrears of the teachers within a month.
NGO Social Jurist, represented by advocate Ashok Agarwal, has contended that the salaries have not been paid to EDMC and NDMC school teachers from December last year. The high court's January 5 decision had come on the NGO's PIL highlighting non-payment of salaries to the teachers of EDMC and NDMC schools.