Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj convened a meeting on Friday with officials from various departments to ensure preparedness against the spread of vector-borne diseases like dengue, said officials.
The meeting was attended by officials from departments including Home and Family Welfare, Directorate General of Health Services, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, Public Works Department, Directorate of Education, Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, and Irrigation and Flood Control Department.
In the meeting, it was reported that various active measures have been taken to curb the spread of dengue, including the sensitisation of ASHA workers on dengue awareness and an increase in the genome sequencing of blood samples. Radio jingle files on dengue have also been processed and 40 lakh pamphlets on dengue have been printed for public distribution.
‘Failure to check spread’
However, the Delhi unit of the BJP slammed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the MCD for “failing to check the spread” of dengue and other vector-borne diseases.
“The MCD’s failure to check the spread of dengue in 2023 was so grave that it has now stopped issuing data on dengue cases and deaths,” said Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor.
Shikha Roy, a senior MCD councillor, added that earlier, the MCD’s report on vector-borne diseases was received by all councillors during regular House sessions, but the report has stopped being issued.
“Now, we have asked questions in the House to get access to the report. The questions will only be answered in the next session, but the problem is that AAP has stopped hosting regular house sessions as well,” she said.
“Individual families or group housing societies can work to stop waterlogging or mosquito breeding in their respective areas, but it is the duty of the MCD to prevent it in open areas,” added Mr. Kapoor.
Sources from the Leader of Opposition’s office added that the LoP also does not get the report unless specifically asked for.
Under the BJP-led MCD, the report in question was shared weekly with concerned personnel, including the media, but in September 2023, the practice was discontinued. A source had claimed earlier that this was done to “avoid bad publicity” during the G-20 summit, but no official explanation has come from the MCD regarding why the report is still not issued.
