CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has expressed concern over the apparent failure of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) to initiate effective measures to check spread of dengue in the city.
The division bench of Justice SK Sahoo and Justice V Narasingh said, “It is reported in print media recently that more than a dozen of dengue cases has been reported in Cuttack city in past few weeks. The CMC authorities shall do the needful in sending the health workers to visit door-to-door to spread awareness on the vector-borne disease for the next three months.”
The special bench constituted for adjudicating PILs on civic problems in Cuttack city issued the direction on Thursday after it was stated before it that poor sanitation, accumulation of rainwater, which is prone to breeding of mosquitoes, and lack of mosquito repellent fogging measures had led to spread of dengue.
Besides, CMC had not prepared any plan to ensure that the disease did not spread again this season even though cases were reported from different parts of the city in recent years. Last year, 667 dengue cases were reported in the city.
The bench further directed, “Samples shall be collected on regular basis from the affected areas and sent to laboratory for testing. It is needless to state that immediate treatment shall be provided, if anyone is found to be affected with dengue or malaria.”
The bench observed that wild vegetation, which has covered most of the open spaces and waterlogging in different areas, is a factor for the surge. It needs to be addressed on an urgent basis and bush-cutting, fogging (insect control) and cleanliness activities are to be intensified, it said and directed CMC to apprise the court on the next date (September 19) about the steps taken in this regard.