Dengue kills 8 so far, BJP accuses TMC govt of hiding death toll

The health department has urged people to take precautions to avoid getting infected with dengue. They have advised people to use mosquito nets, wear long sleeves and pants, and keep their surroundings clean.

Meanwhile, the opposition BJP on Sunday accused the TMC government in the state of “hiding dengue death toll figures”.

“The government is not sharing any data officially. What we know unofficially is 8 to 10 people died from dengue in July. (Kolkata Mayor) Firhad Hakim has turned into ‘Dengue Hakim’. He has not been focusing on city corporation’s work,“ state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said at a party’s dengue preventive programme in Maniktala.

The BJP also announced to gherao all boroughs in North 24 Parganas district on Monday as part of their protest against the ruling TMC in the state.

Responding to BJP’s accusations, Mayor Firhad Hakim said that the rise in dengue cases this month was not surprising. “Many cases of dengue have emerged in the past. In future too, many cases will come up. We live in a dengue-prone area,” said the mayor.

“These programmes being organised by the BJP are nothing but drama… These programmes are for clicking pictures. Such PR activities won’t help them. If they really want to do something, then they should serve the people,” said Hakim.

Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari also criticised the TMC government over rising cases of dengue and hit out at CM Mamata Banerjee for her remark that most of the dengue cases were coming from Bangladesh. “I want to tell the CM that she should go to Dhaka to learn how to prevent the disease,” Adhikari said.