WB CM said that situation in Bengal is better than many other states.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she had allotted additional funds to municipalities for dealing with dengue and would dissolve a municipality if it was found to be faltering in dealing with the spread of the disease.
“I have alerted all municipalities against dengue. If I find anyone not putting enough effort, I might dissolve the municipality as well,” she said interacting with mediapersons at Nabanna, the state secretariat.Dengue menace had affected several areas across the state especially areas such as Deganga, Bhangar, Bongaon and Dum Dum in North 24 Parnagas and pockets of East and West Midnapore, Malda and Murshidabad districts as well.
Although chief secretary Malay De had said on October 24 that dengue had claimed 34 lives in the state Mamata, who is also the health minister, said today that only 13 persons have died at state-run hospitals. “Even one death is not desirable. I have been told that another 27 have died at private nursing homes and hospitals. We are looking into the papers. Those have not been confirmed yet because there are many private health institutions which resort to corrupt practices. There are private hospitals which are charging Rs 5-7 lakh for administrating saline and oxygen. We have cancelled the licences of three pathological laboratories,” she said and added that a section of media had also been blowing things out of proportions making it look like an epidemic whereas the picture in other state was worse than in Bengal. “Gujarat is a smaller state compared to Bengal but there too 435 people have died of dengue, 695 persons died in Maharashtra, 230 in Rajasthan, 165 in UP, 141 in Madhya Pradesh, 80 in Assam, 83 in Odisha and 111 deaths in Kerala,” she said.
Mamata said that dengue had spread because of the prolonged monsoons. “Dengue has changed its character as well. More research needs to be done to deal with it,” she added. Mamata also alleged that political parties were crying hoarse for political dividend. “When we were in the Opposition, I had hit the streets to help people who had been affected during an outbreak of malaria. At present, political parties are taking out rallies and panicking people,” she said.
State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said that West Bengal Congress would move High Court against the state for charges of suppressing actual figures of death caused by dengue. “We will submit a memorandum to the governor on November 2 and will put up an agitation on November 3. Doctors are under pressure not to write dengue on prescriptions of affected. We want the state to file an affidavit and say that the deaths cause is owing to an unknown fever. I will file a PIL in this regard,” he said.
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 "Congress workers, with mosquito nets, staging a protest against the spread of dengue in front of Kolkata Municipal Corporation h")
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