Shiv Sena accuses govt of suppressing dengue figure

New Delhi, Oct 11 (UNI) Shiv Sena today alleged the Central and Delhi governments are hiding the real figures of number of people affected by dengue and demanded that the disease should be declared an epidemic.

The capital had 800 nursing homes and 50 big hospitals and if even a rough estimate was taken five dengue patients per nursing home and 50 per hospital, there would be about 6,500 affected patients in the city itself, party's North India in-charge and Delhi Unit President J B Goyal claimed in a statement.

''Roughly 20,000 people are affected by dengue in Delhi's private and government hospitals,'' he said.

The government was deliberatly suppressing figures because it feared it could lose out hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games, on account of which it planned to ''loot'' Rs 55,000 crore, he alleged.

Government should immediately declare dengue an epidemic and take necessary steps on a war footing, he added.

He also announced that the party would organise a blood donation camp at Shahdara in East Delhi on October 15 to meet shortage of blood for dengue patients. Later, it would also organise similar camps across the city, Mr Goyal added.

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