HC raps civic bodies as cases of dengue, malaria go up

Commissioners ticked off for seeking an exemption

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday questioned the efficacy of the steps taken by the civic bodies to ensure cleanliness, given the rising cases of vector-borne diseases like malaria in the Capital. “Dengue, chikungunya and malaria are on the rise. What is the efficacy of what you have done,” a Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar asked the civic bodies.

As per a recent MCD report, there have been 288 cases of malaria, 180 cases of dengue, and 220 of chikungunya till July 29. Also, the commissioners of the three corporations were ticked off by the court for seeking an exemption from appearing till date.

Need for awareness

“There will be no exemption. They need to see the ground reality. We are pained at such requests. If we can set aside a large part of our day, they can be here to assist us,” the Bench said.

During the proceedings, it told the civic bodies that they cannot clean up the city without creating awareness among the people, a view that was echoed by a court appointed expert committee. The panel, comprising environmentalists like Sunita Narain, Almitra Patel and M. C. Mehta, said some of the challenges faced in solid waste management included lack of by-laws, non-availability of infrastructure or incentives for waste segregation and lack of public awareness.