Now, quick payday for civic body contract workers

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) conservancy workers on contract will get their salaries through real-time gross settlement (RTGS) in the days to come, as the civic body has asked contractors to open bank accounts for labourers or workers working under their leadership. The initiative is aimed at ensuring equal pay for equal work for contract workers.

The civic body has made it mandatory for contractors to open bank accounts for labourers to which their salaries can be transferred through RTGS. According to a civic official, the step will end harassment that conservancy workers face on occasion. Civic chief Ajoy Mehta told members of the standing committee that BMC has decided to do away with cheque payments.

"This is an opportunity for the BMC to become completely cashless while making and receiving payments, especially after demonetization," said Mehta during the meeting earlier this week.

The civic body has already been paying contractors through RTGS, and it has asked all contractors to adopt the same mode of payments that are due to conservancy workers.

A civic official said that a month back, all contractors had been asked to open bank accounts of workers and start making payments through RTGS. "We are checking the numbers of such labourers for whom bank accounts are being opened, and we will able to ensure that labourers are receiving payment without any delays," said the official.

Over 17,000 contract labourers work under BMC, and their combined monthly salary runs into crores. A substantial number of labourers are already receiving their salaries through the RTGS mode.

"We will devise a unified software to make the process easier. This will also ensure the system remains transparent," said the official.