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Journalism of Courage
CALCUTTA, JULY 8: The West Bengal Government has been 8220;underreporting8221; cases of deaths due to malaria for the past seven years, the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India has alleged in his latest report.
The 1999 CAG report, which rapped Calcutta Municipal Corporation CMC for the 8220;gross underreporting,8221; said death cases recorded in the register of crematoria, burning ghats and burial grounds of CMC area were almost double of those reported by the state government.
8220;Scrutiny of the records in these places indicated 241 cases of death due to malaria while government confirmed only 121 cases,8221; the CAG said in his report made available here yesterday.
The directorate of health services DHS of the state reported only three deaths each in 1993 and 1994, while the actual figure obtained from the burning ghat and burial ground registers was 12 each during the corresponding periods.
Likewise, in 1995 and 1996 the state figures were seven and 52 in stark contrast with 36 and 96 respectively in theregisters, the CAG report said.
