Health Dept officials find most dengue larvae at Mini-Secretariat complex

BATHINDA: The Mini-Secretariat complex, which houses the Deputy Commissioner’s office, Education Department’s office, Police Department’s office, including around a dozen government departments, features among high-risk areas for dengue as maximum dengue larvae were found in the building and surrounding areas in the past two months.

The Mini-Secretariat complex in Bathinda. Tribune Photo

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 1

The Mini-Secretariat complex, which houses the Deputy Commissioner’s office, Education Department’s office, Police Department’s office, including around a dozen government departments, features among high-risk areas for dengue as maximum dengue larvae were found in the building and surrounding areas in the past two months.

Health Department officials privy to the dengue larvae inspection proceedings at different locations in the city said a majority of the dengue larvae were found inside desert coolers installed at these government offices. The officials said the coolers at the government offices were not cleaned as directed by the Health Department under the dengue control programme.

The data procured from the epidemiology unit of the district Health Department revealed that 37 dengue larvae were found from the Mini-Secretariat and adjoining government offices in the Civil Lines area during checking in the past two months.

Sources said there were hundreds of government employees and visitors who come to the Mini-Secretariat and adjoining government offices for official works. And during weekly checking at these offices around four to seven dengue larvae were found which is quite disturbing and bring to the fore the negligent attitude of administration. As a result, hundreds of visitors as well as employees working at these offices are vulnerable to disease (dengue spread).

Apart from this, a maximum number of dengue larvae were found at other posh localities in the city as well. Seventy dengue larvae were found from houses situated near Ajit Road and 25 larvae were found at Model Town.

District Epidemiologist Rajpal Singh said, “Apart from government offices, we have been carrying out door-to-door inspection to ensure that dengue mosquito does not breed in stagnant water. We find and then destroy dengue larvae. We have instructed the city residents and government offices to not let water stagnate for over seven days and replace water of desert coolers in regular intervals.”