Retired staff of civic body continue stir, Munger stinks

MUNGER: Foul smell emanating from garbage accumulated on roads has made life miserable for residents of Munger town as the functioning of Munger Municipal Corporation has been completely disrupted due to the ongoing agitation by the retired employees of the corporation, who had locked the entrance gates of the corporation office on May 30 to press for their various demands. Drains in the town have become breeding spots for mosquitoes. The district administration is refraining from using force to disperse the agitating retired employees from the corporation campus. The retired employees’ demands include regular payment of pension with the benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission and disbursement of their provident fund (PF) dues. Munger Municipal Corporation commissioner Dr Shyamal Kishore Pathak said the state government’s has asked the corporation to arrange payment for retired employees from its own resources. “After taking over the charge, I found that more than 100 retired employees were deprived of pension. Only five employees were granted pension by my predecessor. I took the initiative to ensure approval of pension to 158 retired employees on humanitarian grounds. However, the retired employees have resorted to agitation despite my best efforts to redress their grievances,” Dr Pathak added. Sources said matters related to revenue can only be decided by the board, which had has been dissolved after the civic body election. The new board will be formed on June 27 when mayor and deputy mayor will be elected from among the elected ward councillors. “The city commissioner cannot take a call on such a vital issue,” said Sujit Poddar, an elected ward councillor.As the office of the corporation has been locked by the agitators, cleaning of drains and removal of garbage from roads and lanes have been badly disrupted. Mosquito menace in the town has resulted in outbreak of malaria. Continuous rainfall has further worsened the situation with several parts of the town witnessing severe waterlogging. Drains are oveflowing on the surface of the roads, posing risk to the health of over two lakh people of the town.