Inflation and price hikes seem to have hit our city corporators the hardest. To that effect they have asked for a 400% raise in their salaries. The present honorarium earned by corporators for expenses incurred is Rs10, 000 per month. But now, 332 corporators want Rs50,000 per month.

Standing committee chairman Rahul Shewale tabled a proposal to this effect to Sunil Prabhu, the mayor. While the proposal will come in the general body meeting next week for the discussion, Shewale has asked the mayor to forward the same to the state government.

“Elected representatives have lot of work to do in their wards. To perform and fulfill these duties, we incur a lot of expenses for correspondences, communication, phone bills and while travelling. Sometimes even needy and poor residents expects monetary help from the elected representatives”, said Shewale justifying his demand.

He pointed out that the rising costs of services have affected the corporators. “Considering the rising costs, Rs10, 000 per month is a small amount. It is necessary that the honorarium should increase at least up to Rs50,000 per month”, he added. One corporator even pointed out that an MLA gets Rs75,000 per month as honorarium which was fitting for their stature. He added that corporators can barely pay their phone bills and buy stationery for their correspondence.

Civic activists feel that the corporators don’t deserve this amount, when they cannot fulfill their promises. They believe that the increase in honorarium should go along with a rider that if only they adhere to the law they will they get the hike.

“If the corporators are ready to adhere by all the promises they make and make sure the civic amenities like water, roads, gardens, drains are maintained in their ward for the citizens, there are no illegal structures or hoardings in the area then the civil society will be more than happy to pay the huge hike in the corporators’ honorarium. If they still pass the said agenda unanimously then the corporators should be fined for every wrong doing”, said James John, member of the NGO AGNI.