ROURKELA: As dengue cases escalate, spreading menacingly across the city, accusations of callousness have come up against the Sundargarh district administration, Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC), and Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) of SAIL. The majority of new daily dengue cases are being reported from within the RMC limits and the Rourkela Industrial Township (RIT) of RSP, pointing to inadequate containment measures.
Health and Family Welfare (H&FW) department sources revealed that as of November 9, Sundargarh has reported 749 dengue-positive cases, a significant increase from the total of 360 cases recorded until September 28. Of these, 644 cases belong to Rourkela, with 406 cases from the RIT of RSP, 220 cases from the RMC limits, and 18 from the South Eastern Railway’s territorial jurisdiction.
It is being alleged that due to the callous attitude of RMC and district administration, the situation has gone from bad to worse. The RMC is responsible for dengue containment in its jurisdiction, alongside the district health administration.
Sources said while the RMC is sporadically taking up measures to destroy mosquito breeding, the RSP after months of wait began thermal fogging operation from November 1. They blamed it on a lack of coordination between the RMC, additional district urban public health officer (ADUPHO), and the RSP’s health wing.
While the RMC’s health wing has been confined to only sanitary services, the ADUPHO is responsible for the implementation of various containment measures in RMC limits and also ensures compliance by the RSP. However, removal of stagnant water, drain cleaning, larvicide oil spraying, and fogging, remain sporadic and ineffective, especially in the RIT limits, largely impacting slums.
Comparatively, three other Urban Local Bodies and 17 blocks in Sundargarh report a much lower dengue count of 105 positive cases. Sundargarh's chief district medical and public health officer (CDM&PHO) Dr. Dharani Ranjan Satpathy asserted that the district health administration is actively taking necessary measures to contain dengue. He also assured a fresh review of the situation for additional action.