NAGPUR: After a long wait, over 9,400 employees of Nagpur Municipal Corporation, including 1500 teachers, are smiling. The civic body has started giving sixth pay commission
scales to all employees with effect from December 1. December wages are
being paid now and so the fatter pay packets come as New Year gift for
the employees. These employees including Class III and IV category were
already paid an advance of Rs 3000 before Diwali.

Mayor Archana
Dehankar said that NMC had implemented sixth pay commission scales for
all its employees. The employees were demanding new scales from October
salary paid in November and an advance of Rs 5000.

Standing
committee chairman Sandeep Joshi told TOI that he had already made a
provision of Rs 48 crore for increased wages in this year’s budget. “We
have recovered Rs 53 crore more revenue in first six months and another
Rs 40 crore were recovered in last three months making it Rs 90 crore
for nine months. Our total revenue is expected to increase by Rs 120 to
130 crore this financial year so we would be able to bear this burden,”
he said.

Chief Accounts and Finance officer Madan Gadge stated
that sixth pay commission scales would cost NMC an extra Rs 50 crore
every year. It will cost Rs 12 crore this financial year. Earlier, NMC
finance officials had said that new scales could not be implemented
until proposal seeking relaxation in October 2009 government resolution,
sent to urban development ministry, was cleared.

The GR had
prohibited all civic bodies having administrative expenditure more than
35% from increasing it any further. “As we have already recovered Rs 90
crore more revenue in nine months of this financial year, our
establishment expenses will come under the prescribed limits,” Gadge
stated.