Holding the BJP-ruled municipal corporations responsible for spiralling dengue cases, AAP MlAs on Monday demanded the list of the sanitation workers deployed in each and every ward that comes under the constituency.
Calling the “patrolling of sanitation employees” important, AAP legislators alleged that unhygienic conditions prevailing in the city is a result of BJP-led municipal corporations being involved in corrupt practices. The issue was debated during short duration discussion on the threat of epidemic like situation arising out of poor sanitation.
Replying the debate, Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said, “Cleanliness is next godliness. But MCD doesn’t believe so. Everyone knows what MCD is doing. Now, only six to seven months are left with them to be in power in MCD, so they should do their prime job of cleanliness in Delhi instead of cleaning their pockets. Usually they say that they need funds, but I want to know what ever happened to Swachh BharatIJ They never had any focus on it.”
He added that list of sanitation employees will be given to AAP MlAs. “A special committee will be formed to look into the working of MCD which will be headed by Bhawna Gaur,” Jain said.
The debate was initiated by AAP leaders Jagdeep Singh, Amanatullah Khan and Raju Dhingan.
Till now, at least 311 cases of dengue have been reported in Delhi with two more dengue deaths in the last one week. According to a municipal report released on Monday, while total 162 cases have been reported from Delhi, around 149 cases have been registered from other States.
Two more persons, including a 12-year-old girl from south Delhi, have succumbed to dengue, taking the death toll to four as the total number of cases jumped to over 311.
AAP MlA from laxmi Nagar Nitin Tyagi said, “There is so much silt and garbage accumulated on the roads. MCD employees don’t put medicines to kill mosquitoes. There is garbage all over; mosquitoes are all over the place. According to the guidelines, fogging is done only once a disease turns into an epidemic. Therefore, MCD, by this logic, waits for the disease to turn into an epidemic and only then they would do something about it.”
AAP MlA from Malviya Nagar Somnath Bharti demanded the power to check on the works done by MCD. “Only if we get the power to check whether they are carrying out fogging and cleanliness, will we be able to see whether the MCDs are working or not. We also need to see if the sanitation employees are being paid or not.”