ISLAMABAD-Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rawalpindi Chaudhary Muhammad Ali Randhawa Friday directed the Rawalpindi Development Authority and the administrations of cooperative housing societies to expedite anti-dengue activities in their respective areas.
Chairing a weekly review meeting of District Emergency Response Committee for Dengue, he said 36 dengue cases had been reported in Nawaz Colony, City Villas, Airport Housing Society, Dhoke Kala Khan, Gul Bahar Colony and Wakeel Colony in Potohar Town.
The DC said special attention should be given on anti-dengue activities particularly in all areas where dengue cases were reported.
He said indoor and outdoor anti-dengue activities should be expedited in all vulnerable areas of the town as due to current weather condition and rains, it was now the peak season for dengue.
He said the departments concerned should further enhance coordination to improve their performance. Participation of the citizens in anti-dengue activities should also be ensured, he added. The authorities should take effective measures to control dengue while special teams under anti-dengue drive should inspect residential and commercial places and educate the citizens about importance of sanitation, cleanliness and preventive measures against dengue, he added.
The DC said hotels, restaurants, workshops, tyre shops and junkyards/godowns should also be checked properly and the citizens should be informed about dengue and adoption of maximum precautionary measures against the disease.
He urged the citizens to adopt precautionary measures and remove stagnant water from their homes and roof tops as most of dengue larvae and adult mosquito is found in air coolers, water drums and scrap items.
The meeting was briefed that special attention was being given to dengue surveillance. So far, 59 confirmed dengue patients were reported during the current season in Rawalpindi district. About 326 teams inspected 43,653 houses during the Aug 9-15 week in Chaklala Cantonment Board, Rawalpindi Cantonment Board, Potohar Town, urban area and Rawal Town, and cleared 537 dengue positive sites. Similarly, 219 teams under indoor and outdoor dengue surveillance checked 34,244 spots and cleared 42 positive points.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Secretary Local Government Dr. Najeeb Aslam, Associate Professor Sana Haroon, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Headquarter, Saima Younas, District Health Officer, Dr. Naveed Akram, CO Municipal Corporation, Khawaja Imran Safdar, Director General PHA Shafqat Raza, Deputy District Health Officer, Dr. Mubashir, Dr. Zeeshan, Focal Person Dengue Programme, Dr. Sajjad and heads of all the departments concerned.
Separate hostel for disabled
working women demanded
Representatives of civil society on Friday demanded the quarters concerned to have a separate well-equipped hostel for disabled working women in the federal capital.
According to them, many of the special women come from other cities for sake of studies or job but they have to live in private hostels due to non availability of place for them in public hostels.
They were of the view that due to their disability they need special care and attention and added that besides facing issues due to disability, the issue of accommodation further added their suffering.
“Paying hefty amount for private hostels was not easy task for low salaried working disabled women,” Sadia Bhatti, a disabled woman said.
She added said”I am living here since 2015 and during the period I applied in all public hostels but couldn’t get any place. I am paying an amount of RS 15,000 per month out of my meager salary for private hostel room which is totally unjustified.”
She said “We have already been facing many issues due to disability and atleast the issue of accommodation should not addressed by the local administration or concerned authority to give us some relief.”
A social activist Zarina Khatoon said that disabled women are already deprived of many facilities in the society and facing difficulties for their accommodation is not fair.
She demanded the quarter concerned to allocate quota in existing public hostels for disabled women and new hostel should be built for them in the federal capital.
When contacted an official from the Ministry of Human Rights said that the issue of land for separate hostel for disabled women in the federal capital is being discussed with the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
He expressed the hope that after resolving the matter, the disabled working women will have their separate hostel in the capital.