Officials’ apathy delays salaries of VMC staffers through treasury

Failure to send details on time causes delay, VMC finds it difficult to pay from its coffers
Vijayawada Municipal Corporation
Vijayawada Municipal Corporation

VIJAYAWADA: Despite the State government giving its nod to payment of salaries to the staff of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) through the treasury by passing Government Order 010, officials’ apathy in preparing the budget estimates has stalled the proposal, forcing the cash-strapped civic body to spend its meagre revenue earnings. 

According to VMC revenue wing officials, a resolution was passed in the State cabinet meeting in February to provide salaries to the civic body staff through the treasury with effect from April 1. However, work on providing the salaries got stalled since implementation of Model Code of Conduct from mid-March after which most of the staff got engaged in poll duties. Left with no other option, the civic body had to spend its collected taxes to pay the salaries in April and May.

The civic body spends about `130 crore every year towards payment of salaries to 3,400 permanent employees in the corporation and to the retired employees. However, over the years, it has become a burden for the cash-strapped civic body to pay the salaries from its coffers. 

Mayor Koneru Sreedhar had recently submitted a representation to the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) department seeking sanction of Rs 35.70 crore arrears for realising various projects. But, after receiving a cold shoulder from the department, the civic body was forced to spend Rs 3.3 crore tax revenues for the projects, an official said.

When contacted, Sreedhar said that the officials concerned had failed to submit the details of the employees and budget estimates to the treasury for providing the salaries under GO 010 within the stipulated time period given by the State government. 

“A meeting was convened with the civic body’s employees union who were asked to submit the details at the treasury office in Machilipatnam at the earliest. It has become difficult for the civic body to spend `15 crore on salaries this month as the MA&UD is yet to release the arrears,” he said.

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