New Delhi, Jan 30 (IANS): Delhi Congress Committee President Ch Anil Kumar on Sunday alleged that 172 homeless people have died in the city in the first 28 days of January due to severe cold, as the Delhi Government has not made any arrangements to protect the poor living on the streets.
He said that with the Chief Minister and his Cabinet Ministers away on political tourism to states going for polls, Delhiites have been left to fend for themselves. Whether it was Covid-19 pandemic crisis, cold or pollution, the poor are the worst victims of Arvind Kejriwal's irresponsible and incompetent governance, he alleged.
He said that yet the CM has no shame in boasting about the "Delhi model" of development everywhere. Ch Anil Kumar said that Delhi reeled under one of the longest spells of cold and rainy conditions and for thousands of people, who have been sleeping under flyovers, cement pipes used for drainage purposes and bus shelters, it was a killing nightmare with the Kejriwal government doing little for their safety.
Ch Anil Kumar said that considering the fact that over two lakh people live on the streets of Delhi without a roof over their heads for the past many years, the dirty night shelters setup by the Delhi Government can barely accommodate a few hundred, and most poor people still prefer to sleep in the open, as the night shelters are unbearably filthy, unsafe and a breeding ground for infections and diseases, including Covid.
He said that women dread to use such night shelters as they feel most unsafe in them in the absence of any security.
Ch Anil Kumar said that any responsible Chief Minister would have been present in Delhi when the cold weather became unbearable in January and Covid infections and deaths were rising sharply, but CM Kejriwal's priority lay elsewhere as he was addressing election meetings and selling MLA seats in Punjab and other States, instead of tackling the issues dogging Delhi.
The DPCC President alleged that CM Kejriwal has squandered crores for his comfort, publicity, political propaganda and useless stunts, but nothing for the poor who play a vital role in the upkeep and development of the National Capital.