Demanding a 150 per cent pay hike, Congress corporator Brian Miranda states in a letter to CM that the low remuneration is often the cause behind corruption
The BMC is in the throes of an ideological war as a section of its corporators have suggested that their low 'remuneration' of Rs 10,000 a month has led to corruption, while another camp has completely refuted the claim.
ADVERTISEMENT
Congress corporator Brian Miranda recently wrote a letter to the chief minister to demand a 150 per cent hike — ie Rs 25,000 — to the corporators’ remuneration package, and has been backed by the Samajwadi Party.
However, the ruling Shiv-Sena-BJP combine and Raj Thackeray's MNS have stated that corruption stems from human nature and is not going to be affected by a heftier remuneration.
Since 2002, a corporator's salary has been an honorarium amount of R10,000, but realising the need for better perks, the BMC in 2013 mooted a proposal for a salary hike. Accordingly, the proposal was passed by the general body and forwarded to then Congress-NCP government for its approval, but has yet to see the light of day.
The case for hike
Miranda explains his stance and says, "Corporators have to pay for office staff, personal assistant, and office stationery. Besides this, he/she ends up spending huge amounts for field visits in their respective wards. The salary is much less than actual expenses incurred. I have written a letter to the CM, urging him to increase the corporators’ perks to Rs 25,000 per month," adding, "Not all corporators have other source of incomes. Even those who have business cannot focus on it, as this is a full-time job. So managing expenses with such limited resource becomes difficult and in some cases, leads to cases of corruption."
The Samajwadi Party echoed Miranda's views and Rais Shaikh, Samajwadi Party (group) leader in the BMC, said, “It is a full-time job, but corporators are paid less than a driver. When you pay peanuts, it is obvious that many of them look for alternative resources. This is what leads to corruption.”
Nay to the proposal
However, while Maharashtra Navnirman Sena corporator Dilip Lande agrees that a corporator does not get even 10 per cent of the remuneration that an MP or an MLA gets, he rejects the notion that lesser pay is the reason for corruption.
BJP group leader in the BMC, Manoj Kotak, said, “This is an excuse used by Congress party for indulging in corruption.”
Even former civic commissioner Sharad Kale slammed the idea and said, “There is no direct correlation between the salary paid and corruption. Corruption is a mentality among some human beings. Even if greedy people are paid fat packages, they will continue to indulge in corrupt practices.”
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
