KOLKATA: With around 38,000 dengue cases reported in West Bengal by September 20, the state government has issued a series of guidelines making it clear that legal actions will be initiated against property owners who don’t comply with the preventive measures.
According to health department officials, the state capital and its adjoining areas are the worst affected spheres.
The Union government alleged that the state government is not sharing data with the Centre for its vector-borne disease control programme. Six persons diagnosed with dengue died in the past 24 hours taking the toll to over 30 this year.
According to the National Centre for Vector Borne Disease Control (NCVBDC), West Bengal had not shared data on dengue cases in 2018 and 2019 as well. “The West Bengal government has not given us any information about dengue cases. All other states have uploaded the information on their portals. The data helps the Centre send resources to the states to deal with dengue and malaria,” said Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Bharati Pravin in Delhi last week.
According to the NCVBDC, West Bengal registered the highest number of dengue cases in the country last year which was 67,271 and at least 30 deaths.
“The state government issued the guideline after chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi held a meeting with the district magistrates on Monday. It has been decided that legal action will be initiated against private property owners if they do not comply with dengue preventive measures which include cleanliness and not allowing storage of clean water in open containers,” said an official of the state health department.
The guidelines also requested the central government organisations like railways and Metro authorities to take up proper cleaning activities within their premises along with adequate preventive activities at their construction sites.
“Leave of all the officials and staff associated with dengue management throughout the state will remain cancelled till the situation improves,” said the official.
According to the state health department, the 15 districts of south Bengal are the worst affected areas from where 34,905 cases have been reported.
“The scenario in North 24 Parganas is the worst followed by Kolkata, Murshidabad, Nadia and Hooghly. Other than Kolkata and Hooghly, three other districts share a border with Bangladesh which is facing a dengue outbreak. Mosquitos biting an infected person may spread the disease further. The strains of India and Bangladesh may also be different,” said another health department official.
