HC asks AAP govt, MCDs to take steps to control dengue

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) The Delhi High Court todaydirected the AAP government and civic bodies here to take allpreventive steps to control dengue, a mosquito-borne tropicaldisease, in the national capital. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice SangitaDhingra Sehgal also issued notice to the Delhi government andthe three civic bodies (MCDs) seeking their response on a pleawhich has accused the authorities of not acting vigilantly andresponsibly to control the disease. "The respondents will take all preventive steps tocontrol epidemic/dengue," the bench directed the governmentand the civic bodies while also asking them to file a shortaffidavit with regard to the steps they were taking. The court has now fixed the matter for further hearing onSeptember 7. The PIL, filed by an advocate in the wake of denguedeaths and cases in the national capital, has alleged thatdespite 320 cases of dengue being reported this year, theauthorities concerned have not been "rising up and takingmeasures to prevent the disease or mosquito breeding". "Delhi this year has been facing the worst dengue crisisin five years, as all the three civic bodies, particularlySouth Delhi Municipal Corporation, and the Delhi governmenthave failed to discharge their statutory duties, though it istheir responsibility to take preventive measures to controlthis disease," the plea filed by advocate Shahid Ali said. The plea has not only sought direction to the Delhigovernment and statutory bodies to control the menace but alsoto initiate proper inquiry as to whether they could havecontrolled the menace and prevented breeding of mosquitoes. The plea also asked whether the Delhi government hasreleased enough money to the bodies concerned to take measuresto tackle the menace and why sprinkling of medicines andfogging have not been done in unauthorised areas. The petitioner said the disease claimed its first victimon July 21 when a girl from Jafrabad in northeast Delhi diedat Lok Nayak Jay Prakash (LNJP) Hospital here. (MORE) PTI PPSABA HMP AGSMN