Sources said in a letter written to different bank branches, having the municipal council account, the ALC had stated that the municipal council was to pay back wages to 26 MC employees as per a court order, but it had not paid the wages to them. So the workmen filed the claim to this effect. The municipal council had to pay Rs 6,60,974 to these employees. The sources further stated that the ALC had asked the banks to send him draft/cheque, if the municipal council had money in its accounts in the bank, to pay wages to the employees, otherwise accounts be sealed till further orders.

Mr Ram Saran Dass, district president of the Retired Municipal Pensioners’ Association, who is one of petitioners, today told TNS that all 26 petitioners were from octroi wing of the local Municipal Council who had filed a case in the Labour Court in 1989 to get wages for performing duty one day more (six days in a week) as other municipal employees worked for five days in a week. He said after a long legal course, the court giving them temporarily relief, asked the municipal council authorities to pay them wages for three years. He said the amount of Rs 6,60,974 was to be paid to them for a period of three years. When the municipal council failed to pay them this amount, they again approached the Assistant Labour Commissioner, who gave the municipal council authorities several chances, but the municipal council authorities did not bother to pay the wages to the employees. After that, the ALC ordered the bank branches some days ago to seal the bank accounts of the municipal council to ensure the payment of back wages to the 26 employees, he added.

When contacted, Mr B.M. Jhamb, Executive Officer, municipal council, today declined to the give the official version of the council. However, Mr Harbans Singh Garcha, president of the local municipal council, claimed that the municipal council would pay back wages to 26 octroi employees in four to five days as recovery of water charges and house tax amounts had been expedited by the council.