Resident doctors salaries: Delhi HC pulls up AAP, directs it to release funds to NDMC

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Aam Aadmi Party government to release funds to pay the pending salaries of the resident doctors of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NrDMC) within a period of 15 days.

A division bench of the high court presided over by Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan directed the Delhi government that the amount of Rs 8 crore required to pay salaries to the doctors should be released within a period of 15 days, irrespective of incomplete paperwork by the said municipal corporation.

The bench also appreciated the stand of the Delhi government to release the amount for providing remuneration to the resident doctors employed by the said municipal corporation earlier. "We appreciate the stand taken by the Delhi government in releasing Rs 8 crore for the purpose of providing remuneration to the resident doctors of NrDMC," it said.

During the course of hearing, advocate Satyakam, who was appearing for the Delhi government, told the bench that the government was not liable for the salaries for other NrDMC employees. "The liability still lay with the NrDMC and not the government of Delhi," he submitted.

Noting the said submissions, the court clarified that it was not going into the other issues between the Delhi government and the corporation with regard to payment of salaries to other employees of NrDMC and the funds it claims it is yet to receive under various heads.

The court, which was hearing the matter via video conferencing, posted the matter for further hearing on August 31.

The counsel appearing for the NrDMC informed the court that salaries of all the resident doctors in hospitals run by the civic body have been paid up to May. "All the regular doctors have also been paid their salaries till the month of April," she added.

The said orders were passed while the bench was hearing a PIL initiated by it on its own motion after taking cognisance of a report related to non-payment of salaries to NrDMC doctors for the last three months.

According to media reports, NrDMC hospital doctors have threatened mass resignation or a pen down strike if their salaries for past three months are not released. The Kasturba Hospital's doctors have written a letter to the administration threatening mass resignation, while doctors of Hindu Rao Hospital have reportedly drafted a letter threatening a pen down strike.