Over 60,000 people in Delhi died of pollution-related health problems in last 5 yrs: Cong

Delhi Congress chief Shubhash Chopra claimed on Saturday that more than 60,000 people have died of pollution-related health problems in the national capital in the last five years. Addressing a congregation of Purvanchalis here, he claimed that 58 people die of breathing problems every day while it is difficult to count the number of people who have died due to polluted water in the national capital.

"You might not be aware, around 61,500 people died of breathing problems in the last five years. Pollution crossed every limit," Chopra said. He also alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal "disrespected the Purvanchalis by saying that they get a ticket of Rs 500 and come to Delhi to get the free medical care that amounts to Rs 5 lakh".

The Delhi Congress chief alleged that Kejriwal was a "habitual liar" and "blamed the lieutenant governor for all his failures". "When we came to power (In Delhi) in 1998, people did not have water, electricity. Women would roam with a pitcher on their heads. We brought metro, constructed flyovers, universities, hospitals, and colleges, introduced CNG and made Delhi a green, world-class city," he said.

Delhi Congress' campaign committee chairman Kirti Azad said his party gave a home to the "Purvanchalis" in Delhi and the AAP government was "befooling" them on the issue of unauthorized colonies. "(Delhi BJP chief) Manoj Tiwari said 80 percent crime in Delhi was due to outsiders but forgot that he himself is an outsider," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)