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Congress, BJP attack BJD over spread of dengue in Bhubaneswar

An average of 20 new dengue cases are being reported from the city everyday
Last Updated 30 July 2021, 06:27 IST

Opposition Congress and BJP intensified their attack on the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government in Odisha over the spread of dengue in Bhubaneswar and in other places.

Both the parties blamed the state administration for "failing" to curb the spread of dengue in Bhubaneswar which has so far reported more than 400 cases. An average of 20 new dengue cases are being reported from the capital city everyday with one person allegedly succumbing to the vector borne disease, they alleged.

Addressing a press conference, former Congress MLA Debasis Patnaik alleged that the state administration has "failed" to tackle the dengue menace. Bhubaneswar tops in the list of both dengue cases as well as the Covid-19 infections, he claimed.

Neither the Housing and Urban Development department nor the Health Department have specific guidelines or Standard Operating Procedure to tackle the prevailing dengue cases in the state and also in Bhubaneswar, he said.

"It is surprising that there is no special ward for Dengue patients, not even at the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar," Patnaik told reporters on Thursday alleging that the authorities of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) stresses more on tax collection than taking measures to check spread of dengue.

BMC sources said dengue cases have been reportedly mostly from Sailashree Vihar, Chandrasekharpur, Kalpana area and some other specific wards even as the officials have launched operations to clear the environment and create awareness among the people on the deadly disease.

The state's main opposition party, the BJP also slammed the state government over the dengue spread. "The dengue situation is alarming in the state capital. The measures taken by the BMC to prevent dengue from spreading is not enough," BJP leader Dillip Mohanty told reporters on Thursday.

The state government, however, rejected the opposition allegations and claimed that the health and the urban development department are doing their best to check the dengue. "Dengue is not new in Odisha. All the Chief District Medical Officers have been directed to take necessary steps to tackle the present situation," it said.

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(Published 30 July 2021, 06:09 IST)

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