The Pioneer 07.09.2010
Return to work or face music: MCD to workers
Staff Reporter | New Delhi
The Capital, which is already under severe threat of dengue, may witness a surge in dengue cases as nearly 900 domestic breeding checkers (DBCs) stayed away from the work on Monday. They went on strike demanding regularisation of jobs. Presently 3,425 DBCs have been working in 12 zones on temporarily basis in the city. However, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) stuck to its stand and warned them again to return to work or face termination of services. Leader of House Subhash Arya said there are a number of applications pending with them, their contracts will be terminated if they do not called off their strike.
"We can terminate the services of DBCs as they are contract workers. We are appealing to them not to stop work at such a time when the city is facing a dengue outbreak. We can easily appoint new DBCs as we have a long waiting list of applicants," Arya said.
MCD Public Health Committee Chairman VK Monga said around 25-30 per cent of DBCs have halted work. "We will wait for another day to allow them to return to work before taking a decision on terminating their services," he said.
The DBCs, who undertake door-to-door surveys to check mosquito breeding, have been demanding regularisation of jobs for long. In 2008 too, they had observed a 47-day strike on the same demand. The MCD, however, says it does not have the required funds at present to regularise them. Anti-Malaria Karamchari Sangh president Ashok Chaudhary said the DBCs will continue their strike and pointed out that several court rulings have come in favour of regularisation. The issue of rising number of dengue cases was discussed at a meeting of MCD where members cutting across party lines expressed concern over the issue. Arya accused the Delhi Government of granting lesser funds for public health and said this was causing problem for the agency.
Former Mayor and Congress councillor Farhad Suri dismissed it and said the MCD diverted some money sanctioned by the Government under sanitation head for purchasing biometric system. Leader of Opposition JK Sharma alleged that officials were giving false report about the number of cases. Suri also raised concern over blocking of Barapullah nullah due to the elevated road work there and said this was causing waterlogging in Nizamuddin area.
