Jain attacks MCD over rise in dengue, chikungunya cases

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) Amid spiralling cases of dengueand chikungunya in the national capital, Delhi Health MinisterSatyendar Jain today lashed out at the BJP-ruled municipalcorporations, alleging they were "doing nothing" either forcombating vector-borne diseases or for cleaning up the city. "MCD has become the den of BJP people who do nothing whenit comes to sanitation or controlling vector-borne diseases inthe city," Jain alleged, adding, "people of Delhi should dumpthem for their inaction". Chikungunya cases in Delhi have shot up to 432, a massiverise in the figure released by civic authorities, who hadreported just 20 cases till last week. According to a municipal report released yesterday, 432cases of chikungunya have been diagnosed in the nationalcapital till August 27. Safdarjung Hospital had reportednearly 250 cases till August 29. Meanwhile, 487 cases of dengue have so far been reportedin the national capital this season, with 368 of them beingrecorded in August. The outbreak situation has often triggered a war of wordsbetween the AAP government and the BJP-ruled civic bodies. "People should call on helplines of the MCD and tell themabout the bad sanitation conditions in their areas. Thecorporations have turned the city into a garbage dump," hesaid. "It is MCD’s job to carry out cleaning and fogging, andtaking preventive measures, which they are not doing at all,"Jain told reporters. Instead of doing their work and check mosquito breeding,the "BJP-ruled corporations" only "indulge in politics", theAAP leader alleged. He said hospitals run by the Delhi government were fullyprepared to tackle the menace of chikungunya and dengue. "We have 10,000 beds and the number of fever clinics hasbeen increased from 55 last year to 355. People should notpanic," he said. North Delhi Mayor Sanjeev Nayyar, however, denied thecharge and said, North Delhi Municipal Corporation has beentaking preventing measures to combat the outbreak ofvector-borne diseases. "We have distributed about 1.5 lakh special nets topeople, besides carrying out anti-larval exercises. Foggingcannot be done right now, as there are some WHO norms whichrestrict it," he said. PTI KNDTIR