The Hindu : New Delhi News : MCD can't cancel contract: Sulabh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 25, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

MCD can't cancel contract: Sulabh

Staff Reporter

`Has to serve a one-year notice to cancel the 30-year contract to maintain toilets'

NEW DELHI: Claiming that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi cannot cancel its contract for maintaining community toilet complexes (CTCs) "overnight" and has to serve a one-year notice, non-government organisation Sulabh International on Friday said the poor upkeep was due to the failure of the civic body to provide adequate funds.

Stating that the NGO was capable of running community toilets and has proved it on several occasions, Sulabh International's founder Bindeshwar Pathak said the civic body was yet to pay them over Rs. 30 crores needed for improvement of 1,963 CTCs across the city.

"We are helpless as without money we cannot change the condition of CTCs that were handed over to us in a bad state in 2004. But still our volunteers are providing excellent service to the people of Delhi," he said.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Pathak also refuted the MCD charge that it was not sharing the revenue it was earning through sale of advertisement space with the civic body. "We have already paid Rs. 35 lakhs to the civic body, while another Rs.15 lakhs is yet to be recovered from the advertisers," he claimed.

The Sulabh International founder also dismissed allegations that the NGO was exploiting its workers and not paying proper wages. "We function only with the service of our volunteers and part-time workers who are paid Rs.1,500-2,500 every month," Mr. Pathak said.

At its meeting held on Wednesday, the MCD's Standing Committee had cancelled its 30-year contract with Sulabh International after the BJP councillor Vijender Gupta alleged that the CTCs were being poorly maintained.

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