NEW DELHI: The Petitions Committee of the Delhi Assembly has held corruption and inefficiency in de-silting of drains by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Jal Board as one of the major reasons for the outbreak of dengue and vector-borne disease in the Capital every year.

The Committee, headed by senior Congress MLA S. C. Vats, in its report has stated that while the MCD and other civic bodies have blamed the common man for the breeding of mosquitoes in domestic air coolers as one of the major reasons for the outbreak of the disease every year, little has been done to pinpoint the colossal mess created by the civic agencies.

"The Capital is at present reeling under the onslaught of vector-borne disease such as dengue, chikangunya and malaria. There is an impression in the mind of the common man that the Government is trying to blame him for breeding mosquitoes in air coolers while doing nothing about the open drains and stagnant water bodies which are the breeding ground and nursery for such insects,'' the report states, pointing an accusing finger at the civic agencies.

The report states that these open drains and the failure to de-silt them effectively makes it very convenient for the aedes mosquito to prosper, thus posing a danger to the health and lives of the Capital's citizens.

The Committee has stressed the importance of setting annual goals and dealing with the issue on a priority basis so that such a situation does not occur every year. The MCD had come under fire in recent months for its failure to take necessary measures to deal with the situation arising out of the dengue outbreak that has claimed many lives in the past few weeks.

"There is an urgent need to address this problem as it has become an annual phenomenon which is forgotten till the next monsoon. In the meeting with the Department, the officers stated that the reason for the choking of colony drains was the plastic bags and garbage dumped into them by the citizens. Inculcating sound civic sense among the public is also the responsibility of the civic agencies. However, for this it has to set its own house in order before it goes around preaching. It is a common sight to see the sweepers of the MCD sweeping the colleted garbage into the drains as it saves them the task of carrying away the garbage. The public has to be taken into confidence as stakeholders and not threatened as culprits,'' the report states.

Seeking to set the situation right, the Petitions Committee further states: "The Committee sees no bona fide reason for the present state of affairs and strongly feels that it is not an oversight on the part of the officials concerned but a deliberate act of criminal negligence on their part to let the system rot and degenerate to the extent of resulting in a near epidemic. The process of de-silting is carried out year after year with no positive results except for filling the purses of corrupt officials and contractors with no tangible results achieved. Unless strong deterrent measures are taken against these officials, the system would continue to meander along meaninglessly,'' it concluded.

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