Step up awareness campaign to prevent dengue, says Edappadi Palaniswamy
SALEM: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has called upon the officials to fine-tune their machinery and prevent the spread of dengue. They could mobilise public support to effectively contain the spread of this tropical disease, he advised.
Reviewing the state of preparedness of the district officials during a meeting with Collector Rohini Bhajibhakare here on Thursday, he urged the officials to conduct awareness programmes for the public to keep their surroundings clean and tidy so as to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.
It may be recalled that the CM had earlier launched the ‘'Swachhta Hi Sewa’ (Thooimai Sevai Iyakkam) mass cleanliness and sanitation campaign vehicles for Salem, Erode, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Namakkal, Karur and Tiruchy.
Health min inspects dengue control measures
State Health Department officials along with health minister C. Vijaybaskar visited government offices, hospitals and educational institutions to inspect dengue prevention measures on Thursday.
State Health Department has allocated funds of '13.95 crores to take various measures for dengue prevention including screening of dengue awareness videos and 24 hours fever clinics in government offices and educational institutions.
As many as 81 mobile clinics consisting of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and assistants have been brought to Chennai from Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Poonamallee to aid with dengue control measures. Mobile units will help with screening for fever, spraying mosquito repellents and distribution of Nilavembu kashayam.
Non-conduct of local body polls led to current mess, says Stalin
Opposition Leader M.K. Stalin on Thursday accused the Tamil Nadu Government of “doing nothing” to reduce the incidence of dengue across the state and cited the non-conduct of local body elections for the current mess since civic agencies are “headless” due to which preparedness has taken a beating.
Speaking to reporters after meeting dengue victims at the Government General hospital, Stalin also accused health minister C. Vijayabhaskar of “misleading” the people by saying all efforts have been made to control dengue cases.
Opposition Leader M.K. Stalin interacts with a dengue patient at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on Thursday. (Photo: DC)
“The minister is only giving statements that dengue has been brought under control when the situation on the ground is completely different. Even the Chief Minister is not interested in the welfare of the state,” Stalin told reporters.
The DMK working president said if the state government had conducted local body elections, the situation could have been handled in a much better manner.
“Since local bodies are headless, the civic agencies are not able to prepare themselves for any situation. The government should take responsibility for the current mess,” Stalin said.
Govt should implement solid waste management rules: Anbumani
PMK MP Anbumani Ramadoss asked the Tamil Nadu Government to implement Solid Waste Management Rules formulated by the Union Government to reduce incidence of dengue in the state.
“The state government failed to implement the rules effectively and that is the reason for several deaths due to dengue in the state,” Anbumani said.
The Dharmapuri MP said the government should take steps to ensure that neighbourhoods don’t become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
