Calling the deaths caused by dengue virus “murder of the people by the Punjab government”, Senator Babar Awan on Wednesday said around Rs 15.3 million allocated for fumigation against dengue virus were embezzled and only a mixture of water and diesel was sprayed across the province.
“Around 303 people have died of dengue virus in Punjab and the murders of the people by dengue are continuing. The murders are not taking place because of dengue, they are taking place because a mixture of water and diesel is being sprayed to kill mosquitoes, the mixture did not contain any pesticides or chemicals. The amount of Rs 15.3 million, allocated for the purpose, was embezzled by the Punjab government”, Awan said, adding that the government which could not control dengue mosquitoes was claiming to topple the federal government.
He said 32 percent budget for southern Punjab was cut down by the Punjab government and now the Sharif brothers were spending the amount on widening roads near their homes in Lahore’s Model Town and Raiwind. Awan added that around Rs24 billion were embezzled in the name of Sasti Roti Scheme and the man in charge of the scheme, a poor man close to the Sharif brothers, became billionaire overnight.
The PPP leader said similar was the case when the Sharif brothers embezzled billions of rupees under the Yellow Cab Scheme and now again they would embezzle billions in the newly-announced taxi scheme. He said around Rs 50 billion or Rs 60 billion were embezzled in the name of Ashiana Housing Scheme.
He also alleged that Punjab government employees were involved demonstrations against load shedding and causing damages to private and public property.
Awan said Nawaz Sharifs former government was responsible for load shedding in the country, as he had scrapped a number of thermal power projects during his tenure in the late 1990s. He also alleged that the accountability bureau under Saifur Rehman forced IPPs to close business and leave the country.
Asked if the PML-Q was likely to say goodbye to the coalition government, Awan said more no one was leaving the coalition government.
On the other hand, PML-N MNA Khawaja Saad Rafique said in response to Awan’s allegations that the claims were baseless, adding that a chemical, deltamycin, water and diesel were the mixture sprayed to kill dengue mosquitoes. He said chemicals and pesticides were sprayed per a certain formula and the mixture of deltamycin, water and diesel helped control dengue in its pre-larva stage. Saad added that later deltamathene and water was sprayed as it helped kill the larva.
He alleged that the federal government was creating law and order problems for the Punjab government through long hours of load shedding.
