Anticipating the visit, officials had been spending sleepless nights, trying to window dress the town. Mayawati had landed in the noon today and went to Karnal. On her return, she took the officials by surprise, announcing her wish to tour the slums in Kankar Khera area on the outskirts of the city.

She drove down there straight from the airport and then undertook a padyatra through the dusty lanes. The state of sanitation and lack of water left her appalled. The Dalit basti was in bad shape too. From the locals, she found out that the authorities paid no heed to their complaints.

The CM promptly ordered the suspension of the Nagar Ayukt Ashok Verma and the transfer of the District Magistrate Anil Kumar Sagar.

Later, addressing the media, Mayawati said not only the middle class and the weaker sections lived in the areas she inspected, but “sarv samajke log”. But there was a marked lack of facilities for them.

She said the Nagar Ayukt should have acted in a responsible manner. He should have been alert about the problems. As for the DM, she said he was “young, but not as active as he should have been”.

“If I can tour the area, why can’t he? If a big basti like Kankar Khera is in bad shape, what is the state of the rest? The DM is not fit to be the head of a place like Meerut. Unsey jawab talb kiya jayega.”

She said she has received a list of complaints from slums at Nai Basti, Bhagwatpura, Shergarhi, Abdullahpur and some other localities.

Mayawati also said she has received complaints that the Mayor was indifferent to the people’s problems. “ayor kay rukhaypan say dikkat aa rahi hai,”she said, “hum isay dikhwayenge”.