The Pioneer 19.08.2010
Mayor manhandled in Okhla
Staff Reporter | New Delhi
Annoyed residents of Okhla area falling under Central Zone of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Wednesday allegedly manhandled Delhi Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney.
They were protesting against the lack of sanitation in the area, which resulted into the rise in number of dengue cases in the neighbourhood. The locality in south Delhi has witnessed a surge in dengue cases in the recent past.
On Wednesday, Sawhney along with Leader of the House Subhash Arya reached the area at around 12 noon for inspection following the large number of the dengue cases reported from Okhla. After the protest, the Mayor aborted his tour and left the place after issuing necessary directions to MCD officials.
Earlier, local Congress councillor Mohd Jamaluddin briefed BJP leaders 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 in Okhla.
Arya had expressed MCD’s inability to clean a big drain running through the area saying, it belonged to the UP Irrigation Department. This enraged the locals and a heated argument followed. Members of the Residents Welfare Association (RWA) started protesting and soon a scuffle ensued between them and MCD delegation members. The Mayor was caught in the melee and his security officials then whisked him and Arya away in a car.
Locals accused the MCD of being negligent and careless.
In a nearby area, Republican Party of India (RPI) activists burnt an effigy of the MCD. The local councillor also alleged that only 18 sanitation workers had been assigned for the area which has a population of two lakh. The Mayor decided to visit 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 have died.
