While the state government has expressed concerns over the growing number of malaria patients in the city, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray has put the onus for the epidemic on migrant labourers.
“The migrant labourers are bringing malaria with them to Mumbai. There is need to have a check on these migrants. The influx of migrants continues, but the BMC is blamed for the spread of the malaria. First, stop the influx, and then blame the BMC,” Thackeray said.
He was speaking at a meeting of the party’s zonal officers at Shiv Sena Bhavan on Thursday. Thackeray asked the officials to open healthcare centres at each of its 227 units across the city to control the epidemic.
The dean of KEM Hospital in Parel, Dr Sanjay Oak, presented a slide show at the meeting explaining the causes of malaria and the precautions that need to be taken. He appealed the Sena officials to show the spots where mosquitoes are breeding on a large scale so that the medical team can take an action.
“About 20,000 malaria patients were found in an inspection under the Mumbai health mission. The new construction sites are the main breeding centres of mosquitoes,” he informed the sainiks.
Thackeray warned city builders that if they failed to curb the mosquito breeding at construction sites, they will have to face the heat.
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