AAP Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House, Ankush Narang, hit out at the BJP, warning that all four engines of its government have failed as dengue and malaria cases break past records. With 685 dengue and 333 malaria cases already reported this year, he said the AAP government once ran awareness campaigns to protect citizens, but BJP has done nothing. He also cautioned that with Domestic Breeding Checkers (DBC) employees set to strike from 29 September, Delhi’s situation could turn far worse.
MCD House LoP Ankush Narang stated, “Delhi has a so-called four-engine government of the BJP, and all four engines have failed. On 20 September, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) run by the BJP released a report on dengue, malaria and chikungunya. The report once again shows 36 new cases of malaria this week. So far, Delhi has recorded 333 malaria cases, breaking the five-year record.”
He revealed, “Meanwhile, dengue has seen 66 new cases in a single week, taking the total to 685. Such a spike of 66 cases in a single week has never been reported before. Alongside, six new cases of chikungunya have been registered this week, bringing the total to 52 — the highest in five years. The BJP has no concrete plan to tackle malaria, dengue and chikungunya.”
Recalling efforts under the AAP government, Ankush Narang said, “When Arvind Kejriwal was the CM of Delhi, the AAP government ran a campaign called ‘10 weeks, 10 Sundays, at 10 am, for 10 minutes’. The BJP used to mock this successful campaign of the Kejriwal government. But the campaign created awareness among people. Citizens knew how to fight malaria, chikungunya and dengue. Since the prevention of these seasonal diseases could be managed well through caution by Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) or local people, if water was collected anywhere, they would clean it and protect themselves from these diseases.”
Highlighting the manpower shortage, he added, “Delhi has a population of three to four crore. Despite this, the DBC and Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) who visit households to prevent the spread of malaria, chikungunya and dengue are only around 5,000 in number. This is why the Kejriwal government, through its campaign, used to inform Delhiites to clean plant pots and remove stagnant water from coolers every Sunday. But now, the four-engine BJP government has no campaign to fight these seasonal diseases. As a result, cases of malaria, dengue and chikungunya are continuously rising in Delhi, and the BJP has no answers.”
Slamming BJP’s failures, Ankush Narang asserted, “The BJP leaders only make tall claims about working. They themselves do not know what they are doing. If Delhiites are struggling with malaria, chikungunya and dengue, then what is the use of this four-engine BJP government? From areas like Jahangirpuri in the Civil Lines Zone, dengue and malaria cases are being reported daily. The councillor and the zone chairman from there belong to the BJP. Even the Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh comes from this zone.”
“If the Mayor cannot prevent seasonal diseases in his own ward or his own zone, how will he stop the rising cases of dengue, chikungunya and malaria across Delhi? The BJP’s drama of spraying medicines with drones will not help. They should also clarify how big these drones are, because mosquitoes are everywhere,” he further added.
On BJP’s approach, the MCD House LoP said, “Malaria, chikungunya and dengue cases are continuously increasing in Delhi, but the BJP is busy suppressing reports. Cases are emerging everywhere, yet the BJP has no concrete steps. Just for show, they started fogging two months earlier than usual. Generally, fogging used to begin in mid or late September and continue till October-November. But fogging cannot eliminate dengue, chikungunya and malaria. Every individual needs to be made aware. It seems that the BJP has placed a dummy Mayor in the MCD who does nothing on his own. He only follows orders from above or from his masters.”
Warning about the strike, Ankush Narang said, “The 5,200 DBC employees who go door-to-door to prevent malaria, chikungunya and dengue are going on strike from 29 September. This is because the BJP is not fulfilling their demands. These employees are asking only for equal pay. The Aam Aadmi Party government had promoted them from DBC to MTS. What problem does the BJP have in giving them equal pay?”
“They are also demanding that medical leave be treated as earned leave, since they too can fall ill. They are the ones most exposed to malaria, chikungunya and dengue. They also demand that if any of them dies while on duty, a family member should be given a job. But the BJP is not fulfilling this demand either, even though they will have to hire someone in their place anyway. Therefore, they will remain on strike from 29 September. If the employees who were converted from DBC to MTS go on strike, what will happen to Delhi? And if they strike, the BJP will not be able to suppress the reports on malaria, chikungunya and dengue,” he concluded.
