Dengue-chikungunya outbreak: AAP govt,LG ‘missing’ from action

New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) The Delhi government today putthe onus on Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and the Centre forthe outbreak of dengue and chikungunya in the national capitaleven as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinetcolleagues came in for criticism for remaining "absent" fromthe city. Kejriwal, who returned from Punjab yesterday, said Jungand Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be "questioned" overthe issue as "all powers" rested with them. "CM n min left wid no power now, even to buy a pen. LG nPM enjoy all powers wrt Del. LG abroad. Question them for Del,(sic)" he tweeted. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said in a tweet thatofficials of the Delhi government were busy following the"LG’s instructions" of going through the files of the past 18months and sending these to him. There are five ministers left in the Kejriwal cabinetafter Sandeep Kumar’s removal. They are Manish Sisodia, GopalRai, Satyendra Jain, Kapil Mishra, Imran Hussain. As the city reels under a major health crisis, virtuallythe entire Delhi Cabinet is missing from action as Sisodia,Rai and Hussain are out of station. Only Mishra and Jain arein the city. Jain, who was on a two-day Goa visit, returned toDelhi this afternoon. Kejriwal left for Bengaluru, where he is scheduled toundergo a throat surgery today. He will remain there for 10days. Sisodia is in Finland to study its education system forabout two-three days. Labour Minister Gopal Rai is inChhattisgarh, while Environment Minister Imran Hussain is onHaj pilgrimage. Also, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung is in the United States for10 days. Three persons have died due to chikungunya in Delhi.While one death was reported yesterday, two more fatalitieswere recorded today. The dengue and malaria toll stand at nineand two respectively. Former chief minister Sheila Dikshit hit out at Kejriwaland his cabinet colleagues for "touring other states whileDelhi is reeling under chikungunya". "As far as I know, all the ministers are out of Delhi. Itis the responsibility of the government…More thannegligence, it is a matter of playing with the lives ofpeople," Dikshit said. Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken slammed Kejriwal andJung for "passing the buck". State BJP chief Satish Upadhyay also denounced Kejriwaland his ministers for "remaining absent" from the city even ashe directed the party-ruled MCDs to make best efforts to haltthe spread of chikungunya and dengue. MORE PTI SBR BUN VIT GVSSKRCJ