Spurt in dengue cases has put the focus on the need to contain the breeding of mosquitoes, with the BJP-ruled civic bodies coming under fire from Congress and AAP for their alleged "inefficiency and inaction" in this regard.
According to Congress, nearly Rs 45 crore is being spent annually by the three corporations to control vector-borne deceases but their "inefficiency" and lack of infrastructure have led to the widespread dengue outbreak.
"Anticipating the number of dengue cases to increase this year, we raised the issue from the month of June. As rain water was not draining, so chances of larvae breeding were higher still no measure was taken by the civic body. Now after so many deaths, corporation has started to act.
"The corporation earlier failed to pay the salary to its sanitation staff, now they do not have infrastructure for Dengue Breed Checkers (DBCs) and field workers to check breeding. There is shortfall of staff by 50 per cent. So the staff dealing with outbreak is ill-equipped and dissatisfy," leader of opposition in South Corporation Farhad Suri said.
Suri said that the civic body and the Delhi and central governments should not only be charged with "negligence" in case of death of dengue patient after being denied admission but also booked for abetment to suicide.
Today some councillors raised the issue of larva breeding inside South and North municipal corporation headquarters in Civic Centre building.
Congress also alleged that corporation is not conducting fumigation and are underplaying the number of dengue patients.
"I have not seen any fumigation being done in my area. There is only one fogging machine in the central zone of SDMC catering to 30 wards. This means in time of emergency like this fogging will be done only once in 40 days.
"Civic agencies are underplaying the number of dengue patients and death case. There were two deaths due to dengue in my area but corporation is not showing in its record," Abhishek Dutt, a Congress councillor said.
Slamming the BJP-led corporations, Aam Aadmi Party said the corporations have turned Delhi into "garbage capital" leading to vector-borne diseases.
