India News | Dengue Menace: Delhi BJP Chief Asks Civic Bodies to Intensify Fogging Drives

New Delhi, Oct 25 (PTI) Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta directed the three civic bodies on Monday to intensify fogging operations to contain the spread of vector-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya in the city.

The three civic bodies -- North, East and South Delhi Municipal Corporations -- are ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

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"If the years 2015 and 2021 are compared, in 2015 there were 11,886 cases of dengue and that number kept decreasing due to hard work of corporations' officials and workers and at present, there are only 1,006 such cases so far," Gupta said in a statement issued after a joint press conference with the mayors of the three corporations.

According to the civic bodies' report on vector-borne diseases released on Monday, one death due to dengue and a total of 1,006 dengue cases have been recorded this season till October 23, which is the highest cases count since 2018 for the same period.

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The total number of cases this year till October 16 had stood at 723. So, 283 fresh cases have been logged in one week.

"The party has asked all three corporations to intensify fogging operations so that water logging taking place due to negligence of state government departments leading to diseases, is taken care of and contained. This fogging campaign will be in full swing till November 10," Gupta said in the statement.

The Delhi BJP president alleged that during 'Jhuggi Samman Yatra', he found waterlogging in slum clusters due to "negligence" of state government agencies like the Delhu Urban Shelter Improvement Board, Public Works Department and the Delhi Jal Board.

SDMC Mukesh Suryan said 1,120 domestic-breeding checkers (DBCs) and 1,300 field workers are continuously working on this task.

North Corporation Mayor Sardar Raja Iqbal Singh said 1,397 DBCs are working round the clock to conduct fogging drives and spread awareness.

"Seeing a surge in dengue cases, we have made separate arrangements for 120 beds in Hindu Rao hospital and 75 beds in Kasturba Gandhi hospital,” the statement quoted Singh as saying.

His East Delhi counterpart Shyam Sunder Agarwal said as a major part of east Delhi is near the Yamuna banks, councillors and health workers go to these areas for spraying and fogging in boats.

"We have a team of 690 DBCs besides 2,000 others engaged in containing this disease and ensuring there is no water logging. At the same time, water tanks and drains are also being checked," he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)