Sanitation workers protest against east Delhi's new Mayor Neema Bhagat

BJP councillor from Geeta Colony, Neema Bhagat, was elected the Mayor of the East Delhi Municipal Corpration (EDMC) on Monday. The safai karamcharis of the civic body, however, protested against her election and dumped garbage outside the corporation's headquarters at Udyog Sadan in Patparganj.

The protest was called off after Bhagat addressed the workers.

"We are with the sanitation workers. It is only because of them that the city is clean. I will make sure that the salary issue is sorted out and their other demands are also looked into," she said.

The sanitation workers have been demanding payment of their salaries on time, pending arrears, and their names on payroll, instead of them being only contractual workers. The biggest strike by sanitation workers in the last two years had started from east Delhi.

Meanwhile, Bhagat took a U-turn from the corporation's proposal to increase property tax rates in the 2017-18 budget in order to ramp up the revenue, and announced that the property tax will not be increased.

The corporation, smallest of the three civic bodies, has been facing a severe financial crunch and is running into a deficit of Rs 2,000 crore.

"I will approach the Central government to unify the three corporations as the unequal division of areas and resources has thrown the east corporation into a severe financial crisis," Bhagat said.

BJP corporator from Patparganj, Bipin Bihari Singh, was elected as Bhagat's deputy.