Striking Civic Employees Burn PM’s, CM’s Effigies

New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS) The striking employees of Delhi's civic bodies on Saturday burnt the effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the non-payment of their salaries.

The protesters, in north Delhi's Burari area, said that the Delhi and the central governments were playing with the employees of the civic bodies as they were not considering their demands.

United Front of MCD Employees president Rajesh Mishra refuted the claims of the doctors calling off the strike. "The strike is on," he maintained.

"Every worker of civic bodies including sanitation workers, doctors, engineers and teachers, is on strike. Few elements are trying to spread confusion by saying doctors have called off the strike, which is wrong," Mishra said.

"We will not call off our strike till our demands of reaching a permanent solution to the crisis and merger of municipal corporations are considered," he added.

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 11 days.

Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday had 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.

Earlier this week, the Kejriwal government had also announced Rs.551 crore to the North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations for paying salaries.