New Delhi:
An inspection tour by Delhi Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney to the city's Jamia Nagar area, which has witnessed a surge in dengue cases, had to be aborted within 10 minutes on Wednesday after angry residents protested against MCD and a scuffle ensued.
Sawhney along with Leader of MCD House Subhash Arya, health department officials and mediapersons reached the congested minority-dominated area around 12:30 pm and started taking a round there.
Local Congress councillor Mohd Jamaluddin briefed him about the problems of lack of sanitation in the area and the rising number of dengue cases while demanding that a special dengue ward be set up at the MCD dispensary there.
The trouble started when Arya told the gathering that MCD was not in a position to clean a big drain running through the area as it belongs to UP Irrigation Department. The locals were demanding that the nullah be de-silted.
This enraged the locals and a heated argument followed. Members of local Residents Welfare Association (RWA) started protesting and soon a scuffle ensued between them and MCD delegation members. The Mayor was caught in between and his security officials then whisked him and Arya away in a car.
Locals accused MCD of being "negligent and careless". In a nearby area, Republican Party of India (RPI) activists burnt effigy of MCD.
Debris and silt were seen strewn all over along with accumulation of rainwater, making it a conducive breeding ground for mosquitoes. The councillor said only 18 sanitation workers are assigned for the area which has a population of two lakh. "The drain, though it belongs to UP irrigation department, is cleaned by us every year, but this time due to funds shortage of MCD, we neither got money nor staff. We cleaned some of it using our own resources."
The Mayor decided to conduct an inspection in the area following reports of a surge in dengue cases in Jamia Nagar and Okhla. According to the councillor, there are about 500 suspected dengue patients admitted in hospitals and about five deaths have occurred due to the vector-borne disease.
Local residents have claimed that over 15 people died.
MCD health officials, however, maintained that only two suspected dengue deaths and 28 cases have been reported in the two wards. A cleanliness drive has been carried out and vehicle-mounted fogging machines deployed, they said.
Arya said the area is witnessing increasing cases as a lot of construction activity is undergoing there and water has got accumulated in the sites. Jamaluddin also admitted the problem of unauthorised constructions in the busy area.
According to MCD, the city has witnessed over 280 dengue cases, one confirmed death and three suspected deaths. Private hospitals are giving a much higher figure.
Sawhney along with Leader of MCD House Subhash Arya, health department officials and mediapersons reached the congested minority-dominated area around 12:30 pm and started taking a round there.
Local Congress councillor Mohd Jamaluddin briefed him about the problems of lack of sanitation in the area and the rising number of dengue cases while demanding that a special dengue ward be set up at the MCD dispensary there.
The trouble started when Arya told the gathering that MCD was not in a position to clean a big drain running through the area as it belongs to UP Irrigation Department. The locals were demanding that the nullah be de-silted.
This enraged the locals and a heated argument followed. Members of local Residents Welfare Association (RWA) started protesting and soon a scuffle ensued between them and MCD delegation members. The Mayor was caught in between and his security officials then whisked him and Arya away in a car.
Locals accused MCD of being "negligent and careless". In a nearby area, Republican Party of India (RPI) activists burnt effigy of MCD.
Debris and silt were seen strewn all over along with accumulation of rainwater, making it a conducive breeding ground for mosquitoes. The councillor said only 18 sanitation workers are assigned for the area which has a population of two lakh. "The drain, though it belongs to UP irrigation department, is cleaned by us every year, but this time due to funds shortage of MCD, we neither got money nor staff. We cleaned some of it using our own resources."
The Mayor decided to conduct an inspection in the area following reports of a surge in dengue cases in Jamia Nagar and Okhla. According to the councillor, there are about 500 suspected dengue patients admitted in hospitals and about five deaths have occurred due to the vector-borne disease.
Local residents have claimed that over 15 people died.
MCD health officials, however, maintained that only two suspected dengue deaths and 28 cases have been reported in the two wards. A cleanliness drive has been carried out and vehicle-mounted fogging machines deployed, they said.
Arya said the area is witnessing increasing cases as a lot of construction activity is undergoing there and water has got accumulated in the sites. Jamaluddin also admitted the problem of unauthorised constructions in the busy area.
According to MCD, the city has witnessed over 280 dengue cases, one confirmed death and three suspected deaths. Private hospitals are giving a much higher figure.
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