No health unit, no respite from malaria in Mayor146;s ward

As the free run of the vector-borne diseases claim 30 lives in Kolkata, it becomes amply clear that some municipal wards do not have any health unit.

As the free run of the vector-borne diseases claim 30 lives in Kolkata, it becomes amply clear that some municipal wards do not have any health unit. And these include wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation KMC heavyweights 8212; the list being headed by the Mayor himself.

Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, who is only too quick to claim that KMC has its hands tied, does not have a health unit or a malaria clinic in his own Ward 100.

8220;We are trying to set up ward health units or malaria clinics in all wards but we want councillors to find a suitable place for it. But most Opposition councillors do not take the initiative to find a suitable place. They are least bothered about city-dwellers,8221; the Mayor said.

Asked about his own ward, he had little explanation to offer. 8220;I have found a place, but things have not been finalised yet. It is expected that it will be finalised soon and construction will start,8221; was his laconic response.

Many residents of ward 100 have already been afflicted with vector-borne diseases.

Dilip Dey, owner of a private clinic on Ramgar road Ward 100 said he receives at least 10 to 15 malaria patients every day.

8220;Sometimes, some people conduct blood tests in the CPM office on Ramgar Road but that also remain closed most of the time. Moreover, no fumigation has been carried out,8221; said Nikhil Samanta, a resident of Ward 100.

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Not just in Ward 100, the situation in most places is getting worse with every passing day, with the 8220;unknown fever8221; ranging wide.

The economically-backward sections are getting the worst of it. Neither do they live in areas that are clean, nor do they have the funds to get blood tests done at private clinics.

As for the public health facilities 8212; either there is no KMC-run health unit in their respective wards or that unit remains closed most of the time.

The other 8220;VIP wards8221; that come under the neglected category 8212; which have neither a health unit nor a malaria clinic 8212; include Ward 101 and Ward 127.

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Chandana Ghosh Dastidar, MMiC for solid waste management, is the councillor of Ward 101 and KMC chairman Nirmal Mukherjee is the councillor of Ward 127. The guardian of the other neglected ward 8212; number 75 8212; is Faiyaz Ahmad Khan, MMiC for parks and squares.

Mukherjee8217;s response, incidentally, had a familiar ring. 8220;I was not able to find a suitable place for the health unit earlier. Now I have located a spot where construction is about to start,8221; he said.