The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation came under fire from the Treasury and Opposition benches in the Assembly on Monday for the failure to carry out pre-monsoon cleaning activities effectively.
Moving an adjournment motion on the crisis created by the fever outbreak in the State, Congress leader and former Health Minister V.S.Sivakumar said the capital city had seen an alarming increase in the number of dengue fever cases. Attributing this to the garbage accumulation in the city, he said the failure to carry out pre-monsoon cleaning had created conditions conducive for the spread of infectious diseases.
The government and the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation were blaming each other even as garbage mounds were mushrooming all over the capital, he said.
Replying to the motion, Health Minister K.K.Shylaja said the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation had been found to be lagging in pre-monsoon cleaning activities. While other local bodies stepped up sanitation, vector control and garbage removal, the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation had fallen way behind. She, however, attributed this to the unresolved problem of solid waste management in Thiruvananthapuram.
Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala also identified garbage accumulation in the city as the primary cause for the spread of contagious diseases like dengue. The lack of coordination between the government and the local body had affected pre monsoon cleaning activities, he said, adding that the Chief minister had been reported to have expressed anguish over the situation.
Ms.Shylaja also said the General Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram was lagging in poor upkeep and cleanliness. Contrasting this with the situation in other government hospitals across the State, she said the government would not tolerate such a situation. Instructions had been issued to clean up the hospital. The police have volunteered their services, she added.
