MAPUSA
In a surprise move, the Mapusa civic body which is struggling to pay the salaries of its own staff has moved a note to place before an ordinary council meeting to decide on adopting the National Pension Scheme (NPS) for the employees of common cadre entailing an additional burden of also paying their salaries entailing Rs 89 lakh on the council.
So far, the common carde engineers and accountants working in the municipalities are appointed and controlled by the Department of Urban Development and their pay and allowances since appointment are paid by the State government through salary grants.
Interestingly, issuing a circular on ‘registration of urban local bodies as state autonomous bodies under new pension scheme’ the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) has said that if NPS is adopted by the council then the salaries will be discontinued and the municipal council will have to bear the burden of paying the common cadre engineers and accountants from the municipal fund.
The finance department has also moved a note stating that it has no objection for the Department of Urban Development to implement the NPS for its common cadre employees on the condition that the State government shall not in any manner provide any assistance or grant for meeting contributions to the pension scheme or for their salaries.
If the council decides to pass the resolution then the total financial burden on Mapusa municipality will be approximately Rs 89 lakh.
Congress-backed councilor Shashank Narvekar said this move will put an additional burden on the council which will be opposed tooth and nail.
“We are not able to manage our finances. Secondly, when we can’t pay the salaries of our own staff then why should we bear this additional burden. The government is also not paying what is due to the civic bodies. The octroi has been cancelled and the grants come with a lot of conditions. Also there is mismanagement by the current council,” Narvekar said.
Interestingly, the matter regarding NPS and other applicable benefits of common cadre staff is in the High Court of Bombay at Goa and all the municipalities are part of the writ petition.
