Samajwadi Party's Rais Shaikh renews pay hike demand

Corporator and Samajwadi Party group leader Rais Shaikh has once again demanded that the monthly allowance of corporators in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) be increased. This time he has demanded that corporators too get a similar and equal hike in allowance when a member of legislative assembly (MLA) and member of parliament (MP) get a hike.

In May 2017, Shaikh had demanded that corporators get Rs 50,000 per month instead of Rs 10,000 they received as monthly allowance at the time. Shaikh justified his demand by maintaining that a corporator's job requires him/her to move around their jurisdictions round the clock to solve the issues of citizens. "Keeping this and inflation in mind, Rs 25,000 is very less," said Shaikh.

It is believed that Shaikh's renewed demand has come in the wake of the Union Budget 2018-19 which proposed that MPs monthly allowance be hiked to Rs 1 lakh from the current Rs 50,000.

Shaikh has moved a notice of motion that will be discussed in BMC's general body meeting on February 15.

In July 2017, the state urban development department had hiked the monthly honorarium paid to over 2,700 corporators in 27 municipal corporations across Maharashtra by 150 per cent. Besides, the current perks of BMC corporators include free travel in BEST AC and non-AC buses, free laptops and smart phones. Chairpersons of statutory, special and ward committees are provided allowance for snacks, a personal vehicle, personal staff, driver and fuel allowance.