GMC employees at work on Friday. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Dec. 12: A week after the much-hyped Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) results were declared, incensed employees of the corporation threatened to launch an agitation if the government failed to clear their salaries by tomorrow.

The employees warned of a demonstration on Monday if Dispur, hunting desperately for a mayoral candidate, did not pay last month’s salary.

During the first phase of their agitation programme, the GMC employees would demonstrate in front of the GMC office at Kachari on Monday and gherao the officiating head of the corporation as new GMC commissioner S.K. Roy is yet to assume charge.

The GMC needs Rs 1.65 crore per month to pay the salaries of its 2,732 workers but the cash-strapped corporation cannot clear the bill unless the government pitches in.

The employees have demanded that the government compensate the corporation for the annual loss of Rs 15 crore after it closed down the GMC check gates. “The government has removed the checkgates, but has not compensated the corporation for its loss of revenue,” secretary of the GMC Employees’ Union Chandan Sharma said.

The total annual expenditure of the corporation, including salary expenditure, is around Rs 32 crore, while its total annual revenue earning is around Rs 10 crore from taxes, another Rs 6 crore from trade licences and around Rs 5 crore from the licenses of rickshaws, cars, building permission and so on.

To make matters worse, the government has yet to clear the GMC’s dues of Rs 40 crore. “Over the years, the government has not cleared the dues pertaining to property tax, motor vehicle and other taxes,” Sharma said.

The employees have also demanded that the government give a share of revenue tax to the corporation. “If the government cleared at least a portion of the dues, this month’s salary of the employees can be released,” he said.

In the absence of an elected body and the GMC commissioner, it is unlikely that the plight of the employees would be any better, a GMC official said.

Roy, who replaced Sanjoy Lohia on Tuesday, is yet to assume charge while there is no certainty as to when the newly elected GMC will take charge. The ruling Congress has not yet decided whether to immediately field the mayor’s post or wait for elections to the remaining three wards.

Of the 60 GMC wards, elections were held to 57 wards on December 1, while elections to three wards have been kept in abeyance because of court cases.

The employees’ union agreed that the delay in the elected body assuming charge would only compound their problems.

“The corporation needs to take up some new schemes and projects immediately to plug its financial crisis. But in this transition period, it is unlikely that any new schemes will be taken up till the elected body takes charge,” Sharma said.