Mumbai, May 7 (IANS): Accusing the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) of 'betrayal', hundreds of resident doctors have launched a protest 'on-duty' demanding payment of arrears of their increased stipend announced last year, here on Friday.

The frontline medicos, working 24x7 for Covid-19 patients started a social media campaign and carried placards bearing slogans like 'BMC Betrayed Us', 'Betrayed, Still Working' in various city hospitals.

The doctors from the BMC's Sion, KEM and Nair hospitals are taking part in the protests which started last week symbolically by wearing black badges on duty.

At the height of the Coronavirus pandemic and lockdown in August 2020, the Maharashtra government had approved a proposal of increased stipend of Rs 10,000 per month.

The resident doctors have demanded that the stipend arrears must be cleared in full and not adjusted with the incentives given for Covid duty as the BMC has planned.

If their demands are not met, the doctors plan to launch an 'on-duty' indefinite hunger strike from Monday, as per a statement by Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD).

Despite repeated attempts by IANS, top BMC officials were not available on Friday to comment on the MARD's ultimatum of hunger-strike from May 10.