Dhanbad, June 22: Compelled to go without salary for 15 months, more than 1,800 employees of the Mineral Area Development Authority (Mada) are gearing up to launch an indefinite strike if tomorrow’s talks with the deputy commissioner and state urban development authorities come a cropper.

The civic body looks after water and sanitation needs of around 20 lakh people in the district and a ceasework will compound monsoon woes.

Earlier, employees had struck work for six days from April 26 for the same reason. The impasse grounded water supply and sanitation work in Kusunda, Kendua, Kurmidih, Loyabad, Sendra Bansjora, Putki, Tilatand, Jamadoba, Sudamdih, Digwadih, Bhulan Barari, Govindpur, Shyambazar, Tata Sijua, Angarpathra, Panchgarhi Bazar, Tundi, Nirsa, Chirkunda, Baliapur, Mahuda, Jharia, Ghanudih, Bastacola, Dhansar and Baghmara to a complete halt.

Employees had also held a seven-day relay dharna from April 19 under the Mada Sanyukta Karmachari Sangh Samanwaya Samiti, a co-ordination committee of employee associations.

Dhanbad deputy commissioner Sunil Kumar Burnwal held a meeting with the striking employees on May 1. He promised to take up the matter with the state urban development department and press for the release of dues with BCCL, district board and Dhanbad Municipal Corporation to facilitate salaries for at least five months. However, employees got only a month’s salary around mid-May.

“The BCCL needs to pay up Rs 3.76 crore for water supply, district board Rs 1.76 crore and Dhanbad Municipal Corporation Rs 3.96 crore,” said Devendra Nath Dubey, convener of the employee co-ordination committee.

“The issue of BCCL dues will be raised at their board meeting by June-end. Dhanbad Municipal Corporation has also applied to the state urban development department for funds. Things are moving,” Burnwal said.

But now, the crisis is reaching its tipping point. “Most employees are neck-deep in debt. Some have forced their children to leave schools. We haven’t got paid for 15 months. It is not a joke,” said Dubey.

“We will launch an indefinite strike if talks with deputy commissioner and secretary of the urban development department fail,” he added.

The sorry plight of Mada employees goes back a long way. The provident fund (PF), to be deducted every month from the salary, has not been deposited in employee bank accounts since 1992. Retirement benefits of many are pending.

“What do we do for expenses like a daughter’s marriage or medical check-ups? We can’t borrow from our PF,” said worker Mithilesh Singh.

Putting the onus firmly on the gross financial mismanagement at Mada, Dubey said: “The civic authority earns Rs 35 crore annually through tax. The annual expenditure on employee salaries and water supply maintenance is Rs 25 crore.”

Established in 1984 after water board (1914) and Jharia Mines Board (1924) merged, the civic body was to look after sanitation, health and water supply in Dhanbad suburbs.

Its main sources of fiscal inflow were cess from tonnage and royalty, stamp duty and taxes from water supply and sanitation. Most were withdrawn. Now, taxes from water and town planning are Mada’s only sources of income.

Cess from tonnage and royalty collected from coal companies on dispatch from collieries was withdrawn in 1988, which stopped annual cash inflow to the tune of Rs 10 crore.

Mada was awarded the right to collect land use tax and bazaar fee by then Bihar government in 1992. But coal companies, including BCCL and Tata Steel, went to court against the decision. The matters are sub judice.

The biggest blow came in 2004 when the Jharkhand government withdrew the civic body’s right to collect stamp duty on land registry, which stopped funds flow of around Rs 16-18 crore a year.