LAHORE – Instead of launching fumigation practically, the City District Government authorities’ focus is just on holding meetings and making plans like previous year, as the drive looks a distant reality from another angle. The Health Department of CDGL has not yet even started buying chemicals and anti-mosquito insecticides for the drive against dengue, insiders informed TheNation.
They said the CDGL failed to start annually scheduled fogging. According to plan it was likely to start in January but delayed certainly due to sluggish as well as irresponsible attitude of the authorities despite the special directions from the Punjab Chief Minister in this regard. The Punjab CM directed CDG authorities to launch campaign before scheduled time keeping in mind the result of delay in fumigation previous year.
Although, the district administration constituted surveillance teams with recruiting hundreds of untrained baildars on daily wages, sources said adding among them mostly those who could not even get their outstanding dues of previous year, so the district administration should not expect good performance from such part time workers.
But, the authorities concerned still seemed lethargic perhaps are thinking yet to purchase sufficient quantity of chemicals and insecticides, despite allocation of huge funds by the provincial government last year. But for hiding negligence they have issued directions to their subordinates to purchase insecticides, used only for killing flies and spray such substandard and low intensity at houses of VIPs, offices of the high ranked officials and some sites near to their residents for the satisfaction of the higher authorities, the sources added.
The Health Department claimed that under the long-term plan for the eradication of dengue, it sprayed insecticides in order to eradicate mosquitoes from the City, particularly the residential areas but it failed to give desired output, as the mosquitoes grown up to cause its hazards to the people. “The fumigation campaign is scheduled to be launched in February-March 2011, but unfortunately, due to the delaying tactics by the authorities concerned the fuming campaign will be started from April despite availability of sufficient quantity of insecticides with the CDGL, which in fact gave room to mosquitoes to grow and made the lives of the citizens miserable,” the sources added.
It was witnessed that number of patients of malaria was increasing day-by-day particularly the children were the main victims and the health experts also issued warning in this regard that fatal virus of dengue might attack the citizens any time. However, Health Department authorities claimed that CDG have six rounds of IRS with starting 3rd round of routine fumigation in selected areas of the City and this activity would be continued for the whole year. However, they said the fumigation campaign would formally be launched soon.