NEW DELHI: The receding monsoon may have left the city staring at another dengue outbreak as municipal staff responsible for checking mosquito breeding have gone on strike to demand four months' pay arrears.
Doctors say cases of the mosquito-borne disease that assumed epidemic
proportions in 2006 and 2010 have suddenly increased over the last month
even though the municipal corporations claim the situation
is under control. But the DBCs (dengue breeding checkers), who carry
out door-to-door surveys and fumigation, have chosen this time to press
their demands. The 3,200 DBCs are angry as not only is their pay held up
but also a proposal to regularize them has been turned down.
The three corporations - North, South and East - together claim only 34
people have tested positive for dengue this year. However, figures from
just a few private hospitals show that more than 400 people have been
infected. A Max Hospitals spokesperson reported receiving 20 dengue
patients over the last two days.
While Max has treated 280 confirmed cases of dengue this year, Moolchand
MedCity has treated 52 in the last two months. The hospitals claim they
are using NS1 antigen and IgM serology tests for diagnosis.
Dr
Suranjit Chatterjee, senior consultant at Apollo Hospital, said delayed
rains may have caused the spurt in dengue cases. "The numbers have gone
up but not reached epidemic proportions yet. The numbers may increase,
though - a trend seen in the past," he said.
Dr NK Yadav,
municipal health officer of South Corporation, said private hospitals
were citing higher dengue figures relying on "rapid" tests not accepted
by them. "We get dengue reports from 33 government hospitals and about
13-14 major private hospitals. The others do not report to us and it is
not even required. An assessment of the disease's spread can be made through available figures."
Yadav pleaded ignorance about the DBCs' strike. "Their pay has been
delayed as the funds come from the government. We have asked them to
release funds at the earliest, DBCs will be paid by the month-end. But
to my knowledge, work is being carried out smoothly."
The DBCs
work for the six months from April to September. After MCD's
trifurcation, 1280, 1200 and 720 DBCs were assigned to the south, north,
and east municipal corporations, respectively. "In the south, their
salaries have been pending for four months, in the north for two to
three months, and in the east for three months. We are chasing officials
from one floor to another of the Civic Centre. We have written so many
times to the commissioner, municipal health officer and deputy
commissioners of the zones, to no avail," said Ashok Chaudhary of
Anti-Malaria Karamchari Sangh. The DBCs are paid Rs 7,350 per month.
The time may be ripe for DBCs to press their demands but the residents
are suffering. "Our complaints to the councillor have proved futile.
Since Vasant Vihar has a lot of green area and the markets in A, C and E
blocks are in a very bad shape, mosquitoes breed all around in puddles.
When some of us went to the south zone office, they said the DBCs are
busy in east Delhi," said Rajni Mathur, a member of the Vasant Vihar
RWA.
However, east Delhi residents say things are no better in
their area. "Our councillor keeps saying fumigation will be done in a
week but it never gets done. Dhalaos brimming with garbage and open drains are all breeding grounds," said BS Vohra of East Delhi RWAs Joint Front.
Some residents have themselves hired hands to carry out fogging. "In
areas like Civil Lines and Model Town, people are paying to get their
neighbourhood fumigated. They are paying Rs 50-80 for each house. The
corporations are doing nothing," said Ashok Bhasin, president, North
Delhi Resident Welfare Federation.
Only a few RWAs said fogging
had been done in their colonies. "Sometimes the corporation officials
come with a pump and spray insecticides in some houses," said Rajiv
Kakaria, member of GK-I RWA.
with thanks : Times of India :
LINK :
NEW DELHI: Corporations maintain that thedomestic breeding checkers (DBCs) are working as usual, but when TOI asked to see their attendance records, they said such details could be had only through the RTI route.
"We
don't maintain manual records and those cannot be shared with anybody
just like that. The DBCs, who are on contract basis, mark their
attendance through a biometric system. The machines are installed at all
zonal levels and they get their salaries based on their attendance,"
said a zonal-level health official of the East Delhi Municipal
Corporation.
Also,
there is no proper mechanism to check whether fumigation is taking
place or not, except surprise visits from the health department
officials.
"The
DBCs only prepare the records of the number of houses they have
checked. But one doesn't double check every record. Sometimes surprise
visits by officials are a way to check them," Y S Mann, press and
information, director, North Corporation, said.
Many
RWAs are still waiting for municipal staff to fumigate their areas. "We
have approached our area councillor so many times but he sends us away
promising that fogging will take place next week. The brimming dhalaos
and open drains have all become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. It is
the residents who are exposed to the risk of diseases," said B S Vohra,
East Delhi Resident Welfare Associations' Joint Front.
On
Wednesday, fumigation was carried out in some of the areas. "The
municipal staff that we never saw before came to our locality and
fumigated the area. The mosquito menace is on the rise and fogging will
help curb it," said I D Sharma, general secretary, Arjun Vihar RWA.
For
the pending salaries of the DBCs, the corporations have expedited the
process and if funds from the government aren't released by this
month-end, they will be paid from other funds. "The pending arrears have
been cleared and this month's salary, too, will be given on time," said
an East Corporation official.
with thanks : Times of India : LINK
