Here is one issue that is likely to sting the new Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council. Like every year, doctors and public health experts are grappling with the rising number of dengue cases. Hospital beds are full and many families are on the hunt for platelets, which is a vital blood transfusion component for the treatment of dengue.
As many as 1,107 out of the total 2,919 cases across the State so far this year are from Bengaluru and surrounding areas.
Private hospitals allege that the data is a gross underestimate and also dispute the claim of the civic body that there have been no dengue deaths in the city. Experts point out that poor sanitation, unhygienic environment and stagnant water provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes and are responsible for the rise in dengue cases. The number shoots up in the monsoons.
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A colour-coded map of the city compiled by the BBMP has identified the areas where maximum dengue positive cases are reported. This includes places in Bommanahalli, Rajajinagar and Vijaynagar Assembly constituencies. It also points out that breeding of disease-causing Aedes Aegypti is rampant in these areas.
Chikungunya is another vector-borne disease which is a matter of concern. Statistics reveal that around 46 per cent of the total 1,090 cases across the State are reported from the State capital and peripheral areas. Bommanahalli Assembly constituency has been highlighted as vulnerable.
Although BBMP's Health Department officials claim that fogging and spraying have been taken up in every ward on a regular basis, residents refuse their claim.
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R. Venu, who lives by the Storm Water Drain in Okalipuram, says, "We have never seen anybody fogging or spraying. Residents in our locality fall sick and make several visits to hospitals. We have even complained to our elected representatives but nobody seems to be concerned about our plight," he says.