The first ever elected representatives of municipal council of class A municipality met last week in Phuentsholing wavering to remain in their posts if the government does not revise their salary.
The municipal council members (Thuemi) of Phuentsholing, Thimphu, Samdrupjongkhar and Gelephu concluded that they should be paid Nu 30,000 per month with travel allowances and daily allowances besides the salary.
They claim their job to be more rigorous than what gewog administration is doing.
One member of Phuentsholing municipality said, “We have to shoulder the combined responsibility of gup, tshogpa and mangmi. So there is needed to get a higher salary than mere Nu 5000”.
“The present salary of Nu 5000 is not even sufficient to buy fuel for the vehicle,” another member laments.
There is discrepancy in the sitting fees paid to the members while they are attending the municipal assembly ( Thomde Tshogdu).
Members of Thimphu municipality receive Nu 5000 while others get only Nu3000.
“We don’t understand why there should be such difference in the sitting fee”, complained members from Gelephu, Samdrupjongkhar and Phuentsholing.
Some of the attending council members threaten to resign from their post if there comes no indication of salary increment in the next parliamentary session.
“One cannot take the extra burden simply getting the benefit of a village gup”, argued a member who attended the conference of mayors and council members in Phuentsholing.
