MCD comes under fire over dengue situation

The MCD is responsible for ensuring breeding checks across the city and undertaking preventive and curative measures but an unrestrained rise in the number of dengue cases this year has the Congress Opposition in the MCD up in arms.

The breeding checkers, employed on a contract basis by the civic body, are demanding that their jobs be regularised. Their strike and relay fast at Town Hall has sparked off a controversy over their removal and new appointments: the civic body is about to engage another 420 workers. 8220;Of the 3,200 checkers, only about 750 are reporting for work. We had recently advertised for 420 vacant posts, for which we have received 6,000 applications,8221; MCD Public Health Committee chairman V K Monga said.

8220;If the strike is not resolved in two to three days, we may even think of hiring more new people, effectively ending the contracts of the striking workers,8221; he said.

But Farhad Suri, former mayor and municipal councillor from Nizamuddin, said the checkers were striking work rightfully, as they are not only underpaid but also not properly equipped with dippers or even stationery to note cases of breeding. 8220;The checkers, who do not get their pay regularly, are expected to buy stationery out of their own pocket. The workers are also not issued ID cards and with all the resentment they face from house-owners, they should be protected by the corporation,8221; Suri said.

Amid the standoff, dengue cases are increasing rapidly in the city. Delhi has reported over 300 cases and two deaths so far this year and officials said cases are not expected to decline, at least till September-end.

MCD officials, however, maintain statistics show that, as compared to previous years, the situation is not so bad. In 2007, the number of dengue cases reported was 548 and in 2006 and 2005 it was 3,366 and 1,023, officials said. In 2006, there were around 38 dengue-related deaths and in 2005 there were nine. Though the figure dipped to one last year, this year two deaths have already been reported.

The civic body also claims it has conducted breed checks in as many as 1.38 crore houses till September 6 and found 70, 336 houses with larvae breeding in them. This is in contrast to 2.73 crore checks carried out throughout last year, with 95,898 detections of breeding, a smaller number when compared to this year8217;s figures.

But the Opposition would hear of none of this and has cried foul over the expiry of medicines and their misuse.

8220;The Delhi government had sanctioned Rs 22 crore for initiating measures to combat dengue but the MCD has wasted a major portion of the amount on buying medicines. To add to that, a bulk of these medicines has expired,8221; Suri said.

The civic body, however, refuted these allegations and maintained that medicines for dengue have not expired and are being used. It also said it has been doing its bit and has completed the sprinkling of disinfectants in 10,07,823 houses so far.

8220;Fogging is not a good option, as the mosquitoes have begun developing immunity to it. Issuing challans is also not an option. Instead of using punitive measures, we must join hands with the people and create awareness. Nobody would want mosquitoes breeding in their homes and people will cooperate if we step up our awareness programme,8221; Monga said.