The municipal corporation today took a formal decision that the PMT should distribute 8.33 per cent bonus to its employees in view of its financial position. The amount required for distribution of bonus would be given by the municipal corporation.

Meanwhile, Chandrakant Takwane, president of PMT Kamgar Sangh said in a press statement that the PMC decision had created unrest among the employees. He warned that PMT employees would go on strike if the decision on ex-gratia was not changed during the next two days.

Despite pressure from PMT committee members that it should approve an ex-gratia of Rs. 3,000 to every employee, a special standing committee meeting, attended by all party leaders, asked PMT not to distribute the ex-gratia. Several leaders criticised PMT's financial mismanagement and said that the PMC ought to think over why it should help PMT from time to time if it was incurring heavy losses.

Standing Committee chairman Arun Dhimdhime later told media persons that the meeting suggested that the PMT committee members work out ways to bring PMT out from the present financial crisis. Dhimdhime said the PMC had already given Rs. 1.75 crore in the present financial year to distribute salary differences to employees.

Dhimdhime said the PMC had to pay the amount to PMT at the cost of development works. He said PMC would have a financial burden of Rs. 2.75 crore which would have to raised by deducting two per cent of the development works. Dhimdhime said PMT officials had dropped hints that they would be needing another few crores next month to pay the last installment of salary differences to employees.