Will dismiss civic bodies if they fail to check spread of dengue: Mamata

Kolkata: Addressing the increase in deaths due to vector-borne diseases in the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday, said that her government will take strict action against civic bodies if they fail to check the spread of dengue.

She also added that civic authorities had been allocated enough funds for people's welfare and if they failed in implementing it, they would be dismissed.

“I have asked the civic bodies to be alert. If I find the authority of any municipality not putting in enough effort, we shall take action...” the chief minister said, according to reports in Hindustan Times.

People in few areas of North 24 Parganas -- the most densely populated district in the country -- such as Bongaon, Dumdum, Bidhannagar, Bhangar, and Deganga have been under the grip of widespread fever due to the bite of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.

People in other districts such as Malda and Murshidabad are also suffering, the report added.

Banerjee, who is also the health minister of the state, claimed that 13 patients died in government hospitals due to dengue.

“In private hospitals and nursing homes, 27 have died allegedly of dengue. We are probing those figures,” she said.

Banerjee also slammed a section of the media for publishing wrong information supplied by some private healthcare units without verification, the HT report added.

We have already cancelled the license of three pathological labs for wrong reports,” she said.

Comparing the number of dengue deaths in other states she said, “Gujarat is a smaller state than Bengal but as many as 435 people have lost their lives there. These are figures updated a few days ago."

“The figure is 695 for Maharashtra, 230 for Rajasthan, 165 for UP, 141 for Madhya Pradesh, 80 for Assam, 83 for Odisha. Even Kerala that is a very small state compared to Bengal has witnessed 111 deaths,” she added.

West Bengal has reported the highest number of dengue deaths in the country so far this year with the figure till August end standing at 22, according to PTI reports.

Banerjee also slammed the opposition parties in the state for indulging in "petty politicking" over the issue and added, "When I was in the opposition, we used to hold camps for awareness against malignant malaria."

The Congress and BJP have also alleged that the administration is misleading people on the extent of spread of dengue, the report added.