Dengue drive loses steam as depts lack teamwork

Ravneet Singh

Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 24

The Municipal Corporation (MC) and municipal councils in the district are tackling the spread of dengue at leisure while the Health Department here has already found dengue larvae at 809 places. 

Officials of the Patiala MC and municipal councils in the district are not taking part in regular drives to tackle dengue. In fact, the district had featured on top of the list of dengue-affected areas in the state last year.

An astounding 2,334 cases of dengue were recorded in the district in 2018 while new cases have already started coming in this year. At the forefront, the Patiala MC has issued only 11 challans to the people on whose premises dengue larvae was found. The challans were issued last week. 

The municipal councils in Nabha, Patran, Sanaur and other areas have not issued even a single challan against offenders despite clear directions for the same.

In a letter addressed to the Municipal Commissioner, Patiala, the Patiala Urban Development Authority (PDA) and the office of Deputy Director, Local Bodies, the Health Department has demanded involvement of officials of the departments to check dengue larvae at residential and commercial premises.

The letter states that the Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) has taken notice and demanded clarifications on tackling dengue menace in the next meeting of the district-level monitoring committee. 

The Health Department has also demanded that offices concerned must share their action plan for fogging.

At present, officials of the Health Department have found dengue larvae at as many as 809 places in the district. It includes 250 places, which fall under the ambit of the Patiala MC. 

Officials of the Improvement Trust and the PDA are taking part in anti-dengue drives for the first time.

The Health Department in the city has also written to other departments to focus on fogging, which is yet to begin.

An insider in the Patiala MC said, “The basic duty to tackle spread of dengue lies with the Local Bodies and not the Health Department. It seems the Local Bodies Department has left the matter for health officials to manage.”

The municipal health officer, Patiala, Sudesh Pratap Singh, said, “The MC is yet to purchase fogging machines. The process has already started. Officials of the department are participating in anti-dengue drives as per plan.” 

“This is not the time for conducting fogging as the dengue larvae are yet to convert into aides mosquitoes. We are prepared with all the required material for fogging including machines while medicine is already available from the stock purchased last year,” he added. He claimed there was no lapse on the part of the Patiala MC.

The Chief Administrator, PDA, and chairperson Improvement Trust, Surabhi Malik, said, “The PDA and the trust are conducting fogging at double the frequency than last year. As of now, we are using already available medicine. Teams have been formed to tackle stranded water. Awareness drives have been conducted. Soon, challans will be issued to violators.”