MCD employees in Delhi’s North-East zone are seeking payment of years of pending dearness allowance and bonuses, with a workers’ union warning of further action after staff in two wards reportedly received no festival-related payments.
According to a report by Jagran – New Delhi, employees in wards 216 and 217 have not received bonuses for 2019, 2020 and 2021. The report also said dearness allowance, or DA, remained unpaid from 2013 through 2026, while the bonus for 2025-26 had also not been released.
The workers are part of the North-East zone of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, which was earlier known as the Shahdara North zone. The reported arrears have become a source of anger among employees because the payments were not made even during the festival period, when such dues have a direct bearing on household finances.
Rahul Bohot, president of the zone’s Mazdoor Karamchari Union, said wards 216 and 217 were transferred to the North-East zone in April 2023 from the former Shahdara South zone. The union has argued that the transfer did not resolve the employees’ older financial claims and that the outstanding payments are still pending.
The dispute highlights the administrative difficulty of carrying employee liabilities across changes in municipal jurisdiction and zonal organisation. When wards or operational units move between zones, the payment responsibility may involve records held by more than one administrative and accounts office. In this case, the union has specifically sought accountability from the accounts department’s deputy chief accountant, according to the report.
Rakesh Ved, Delhi Pradesh president of the All India Mazdoor Congress, has written to the deputy commissioner of the North-East zone seeking payment of the pending bonus and DA. The union has asked the corporation administration to release the arrears quickly and determine responsibility for the delay.
The reported claims cover multiple years and involve both recurring allowances and annual bonus payments. DA is linked to changes in the cost of living and is therefore distinct from a one-time bonus. The two categories of dues may require separate verification of employee eligibility, applicable rates, service records and budget or accounts approvals before payment is processed.
The report did not include a response from the MCD administration on the employees’ allegations, the status of the claims, the total amount outstanding or a payment schedule. It also did not establish whether the pending dues affect every employee in the two wards or only specific categories of staff.
The immediate demand before the North-East zone administration is to examine the union’s representation, reconcile the relevant records and communicate the status and timeline for any eligible payments. No further official action or deadline was cited in the report.
