Urban planning 'failure', pollution to be blamed for rising GBS cases: Supriya Sule

Pune: Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule on Thursday slammed the Pune civic administration as she blamed the "urban planning failure" and rising pollution for the outbreak of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a rare nerve disorder, in the city.

There is a need to find the scientific cause behind the prevalence of GBS cases, the parliamentarian representing Baramati in Maharashtra's Pune district told reporters.

Sule demanded that the government bear all medical expenses of the GBS patients, claiming the disease was prevalent due to the "flawed management".

She visited a well, located in Nanded village off Sinhgad Road area here, from where contaminated water is suspected to have been supplied to adjoining localities, leading to the rise in GBS cases.

A 56-year-old woman from Pune is suspected to have died of GBS on Wednesday, while a 40-year-old man from Solapur died on Sunday.

Till Wednesday, 127 suspected patients of GBS were found in Pune and elsewhere in the state, as per officials.

"I visited the well and the (nearby) area to understand the current GBS situation. People in the area are living in tremendous fear. I am going to put forth this issue in today's district planning and development committee meeting," Sule said.

Terming the current GBS situation as an "outbreak" (of the disease), Sule said all round efforts are needed to contain it.

The MP said she has been writing to the civic body and the state government about these localities, which were recently brought under the purview of the Pune Municipal Corporation.

Despite the basic infrastructure such as STPs (sewage treatment plants) lacking, permissions to new buildings and projects are being given, she claimed.

"Now the current situation ( of GBS) is all because of urban planning failure. After a few days, reports from labs will be available but as of today, it looks that due to urban planning failure, pollution, be it water, air, diseases are increasing and immediate steps need to be taken," she said.

"There is a need to find the scientific cause behind this prevalence of GBS cases by consulting experts," the NCP (SP) working president said.

Sule said rivers and dams are getting polluted and the government should pay heed to all these things.

"Though we are in opposition, we are ready to cooperate with the government on these issues," she said.

"The common people should not be held hostage just because your policies are flawed," Sule added.

The Lok Sabha member said she has already spoken to the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change over the GBS issue.

Authorities here on Wednesday said 144 water samples from different parts of the city have been sent for chemical and biological analysis to a public health laboratory, and samples from eight water sources found contaminated.

GBS is a rare condition that causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness, with symptoms including severe weakness in the limbs, loose motions, etc.

Bacterial and viral infections generally lead to GBS as they weaken the immunity of patients, and in the present case, the disease is suspected to have been triggered by contaminated water, according to doctors.