Mosquito breeding checkers intensify strike as talks fail

They hold rally outside Civic Centre as their protest enters 10th day

After negotiations with officials bore no fruit, domestic breeding checkers (DBC) of the city’s three municipal corporations – North, South and East – held a rally outside Civic Centre at Minto Road on Wednesday. Their indefinite strike entered 10th day.

Protesting over the demand of regularising their services under the civic bodies, Anti-Malaria Ekta Karamchari Union (AMEKU) president Devanand Sharma said that officials were “only giving us assurances to get us back to work”.

He added, “They say that they are working on our demands, so let them do it. Not a single DBC has been regularised since 1996. The corporations are in charge of making the required posts for us, however, they have no will to do it. We have received assurances in the past, but we are still contractual workers.” 

A total of 3,500 DBCs are employed under the three civic bodies, while the AMEKU, represents a section of these workers. 

“The budgetary approval has to come from the Delhi government, we cannot make permanent posts without it. We have written to them on numerous occasions regarding this but they are yet to respond,” said South Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Mukesh Suryan.

Other leaders of the BJP-led civic bodies echoed similar views, including North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s Standing Committee chairman, Jogi Ram Jain.

However, SDMC’s Leader of the Opposition Prem Chauhan questioned the BJP-led elected wing’s decision to “blame the Delhi government”.