Hit By Coronavirus Induced Lockdown, Delhi Metro Slashes Employees' Salary By 50%

"Starting with the salary for August, perks and allowances will be payable at the rate of 15.75% of Basic Pay," DMRC said in an official statement.

(File Photo/ AFP)

New Delhi: On the backdrop of adverse financial condition due to non-operation of metro services in the national capital, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Tuesday decided to reduce the perks and allowances by 50 per cent with effect from August 2020. "Starting with the salary for August, perks and allowances will be payable at the rate of 15.75% of Basic Pay," DMRC said in an official statement. "With immediate effect, all sanctions of fresh Advances for House Building Advance, Multipurpose Advance, Laptop Advance, Festival Advance etc to be kept on hold till further orders. Advances already sanctioned will continue to be disbursed, as & when a demand is received," DMRC said.

In view of adverse financial condition due to non-operation of metro services, perks & allowances to be reduced by 50% with effect from Aug 2020. Starting with the salary for Aug, perks & allowances will be payable at the rate of 15.75% of Basic Pay: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation pic.twitter.com/QLrs14tUoe

— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2020

Last month DMRC had said that Delhi Metro services will remain closed for commuters until further notice. The development came a day after the government issued an array of fresh guidelines for the next phase of unlocking. As per the guidelines, metro rail services will remain shut. ALSO READ | Sanjay Dutt Admitted To Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital For Cancer Treatment In Delhi, metro services have been shut since March 22, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed the 'Janta Curfew'. Even though other transport services have now been allowed as part of the relaxations, metro service remains to be barred. A recent survey stated that around 67 per cent citizens will not take metro or local trains in the next 30 days even if they are restarted. Only 15 per cent citizens say they will visit a gymnasium or swimming pool in the next 30 days if they are restarted. 93 per cent citizens do not plan to have a holiday hotel stay in the next 3 months. DMRC recently said that they are working on a list of standard operating procedures to resume metro services as soon as possible. Mumbai local trains also re-started operations for essential services providers on June 15 after being shut for 84 days due to the lockdown restrictions, but the ridership has been very low.