The MMRDA says the move will motivate the experts to continue working for Metro construction in the city
While the state government is looking to cut down on its workforce by 30 per cent to pay remaining employees according to the 7th Pay Commission recommendations, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-headed Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) decided to bump up the salaries for engineers and officers working 'on field' for Metro projects in the city, along with India's longest proposed Sea Link between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, by 15 per cent.
The MMRDA said the move will motivate the experts to continue working for Metro construction in the city, citing that the pay scale is 30-60 per cent less in Mumbai when compared with other cities in India.
Meanwhile, the state government, has curbed the creation of new posts since June 2015, keeping its staff strength at 19 lakh employees.
It is looking to cut the workforce to 14 lakh, considering the state needs Rs 15,000 crore to meet the 7th Pay Commission arrears.
However, the MMRDA has decided that only those engineers and officers working 'on field (on ground)' for several Metro projects and the 22-km-long Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) connecting Sewri and Nhava Sheva, will be eligible to have their gross salary increased by 15 per cent in form of 'special allowance'.
Explaining the logic behind the decision, an MMRDA official, said, "We are executing several Metro projects in the city, and the state government aims to have a 150-km Metro connectivity ready in the next five to eight years, for which we need to have expert engineers and officers who have worked on Metro projects in other cities."
The MMRDA official added, "However, considering that our pay scale is 30 to 60 per cent lower than in other cities, very few were interested to work in Mumbai on the Metro projects and MTHL. So, we decided on a special allowance to those officials who are working on field."
Currently, civil construction work on around 35-km in the western suburbs linking Dahisar and Andheri is being carried out by the MMRDA, and construction on another 50-km long Metro routes between Andheri-Mankhurd, Wadala-Thane, Andheri-Vikhroli are going to start in another few months. While in case of MTHL, the work order has been issued to three separate contractors, civil construction work is expected to start by January 2018.
Dilip Kawathkar, Deputy Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA (Administration), confirmed the hike. "The authority headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has already approved the hike, and now we are in the final stages of deciding on the eligibility, and will take decision in the first week of December."
Meanwhile, an MMRDA official, said, "The state government's cost cutting decisions will not affect our decision to give special allowance as our finance is independent, and we are not dependent on the state government for funds. We have around 15,000 crore in fixed deposits and our expense is met through it and by seeking loans from banks."
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