AAP and BJP spar over mosquito breeding in city
New Delhi: With summers approaching, Aam Aadmi Party's MCD-in-charge Durgesh Pathak on Tuesday took aim at the BJP-led administrations of the civic body, alleging they had failed to start fogging key areas in time, resulting in incessant breeding of mosquitoes in the city.
However, Leader of the House in the South MCD, Narendra Chawla blamed the Delhi government for the seeming rise in breeding, alleging it was the state government that had failed to de-silt its drains in time for the summer.
Pathak accused the BJP of transforming Delhi into the "mosquito capital", after having turned it into the "garbage capital".
The AAP leader said, "During this time of the year, mosquito fogging is done, however, BJPs MCD has not started the process and by the looks of it, they have no intention of doing it. It takes approximately Rs 100 crore to fog the entire city of Delhi and because the BJP is aware that this is their last year in MCD because they know that the people of Delhi will vote them out in the upcoming 2022 MCD elections, it is their intention to misappropriate these fogging funds and not spend them where they are meant to be spent."
Pathak questioned the BJP, "The Aam Aadmi Party asks the BJP, particularly their Delhi chief Adesh Gupta who had said that the MCD will do better — where is the better you promised? Why is fogging not happening in Delhi? Please don't test the patience of the people of Delhi instead do the task that has been given to you. The Aam Aadmi Party warns the BJP, within the next 48hrs MCD should begin the work otherwise it will have to face the people of Delhi."
Pathak's insinuations that the BJP-led MCD administrations were purportedly delaying fogging with an intent to indulge in corruption was strongly rubbished by Chawla, who said, "AAP leaders, without checking the facts, have been making allegations of corruption as they wanted to get political benefit on every issue related to the MCDs. If they are really serious about the issue, they should ensure the cleaning of drains coming under the jurisdiction of the Flood and Irrigation Department and PWD.
The fact is that the MCDs have been ensuring anti-larval spray in these drains but due to excessive quantity of silt and dirt stored inside these drains, mosquito breeding is taking place and as a result, city is witnessing an increasing number of mosquitoes these
days."
