The Times of India 26.08.2010
Councillors join salary hike chorus
NEW DELHI: After MPs and MLAs, the MCD councillors are now demanding an increase in salary and allowances. The issue was raised in the meeting of the MCD standing committee on Wednesday where councillors cutting across party lines demanded that their allowances be increased from Rs 300 per meeting to at least Rs 1000 and they get a fixed salary. Delhi mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney justified the demand and said he will meet the Union home minister to discuss the matter.
“The salary and incentives of MPs have gone up to Rs 2 lakh and MLAs will get up to Rs 1 lakh now. Councillors are getting nothing. There is no fixed salary for us and the allowances we get is only Rs 300 per standing committee meeting, which comes to a maximum of Rs 1200 a month,” said Sawhney. The MCD standing committee, he added, had passed four proposals related to an increase in allowances, which included a hike in meeting allowance from Rs 300 to Rs 1000 for each meeting, Rs 5,000 for a laptop operator, Rs 5,000 as constituency fund and Rs 5000 for expense on stationery items.
“None of these recommendations has been implemented yet. We have discussed the issue with the Delhi government and the Lieutenant Governor as well but without any success. Now, I am going to meet the Union home minister. My demand is that we should get a fixed salary of at least Rs 10,000 a month and there should be a substantial increase in the allowances,” Sawhney said.
Councillors cutting across party lines are pitching for a hike in salary and allowances. Said leader of the opposition in MCD from Congress party, Jai Kishan Sharma, ”For all local problems related to roads, streetlights, drainage, or garbage, people approach us. From morning till evening, we are dealing with more than 100 people and attending to their grievances. Without an increase in salary and allowance, sustaining the work will be difficult.” He added that the salary of councillors should be at least Rs 30,000 a month. The move comes days after the central government increased MP’s salary to Rs 50,000 a month from Rs 16,000. Delhi MLAs have also been promised increased salary and allowances by the state government.
