By IANS,
New Delhi : Officials supervising the construction of the Commonwealth Games village have been fined for letting water stagnate at its building site and making them breeding grounds for dengue-causing mosquitoes, Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain said Tuesday.
“The Commonwealth Games village (in east Delhi) has become a breeding ground for dengue-carrying mosquitoes. We had gone there for an inspection last week and fined the officials for allowing water stagnation,” Sain told IANS.
Dismissing Delhi Health Minister Kiran Walia’s critical remarks about the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) failing to check the rising number of dengue cases in the capital, Sain said the civic agency was doing its best to do its best to check the spread of the disease that has already claimed two lives in and around the capital. An estimated 550 people are said to be afflicted with dengue.
“This year, due to late rains in the capital, there was a rise in the number of dengue patients. Next year, we will have the situation under control. There will be no such problem during the Commonwealth Games,” he said.
In a familiar blame game, the Delhi health minister said the civic body was not taking proper care to stop breeding of mosquitoes in Delhi. “Despite several reminders, the MCD health officer is not informing the Delhi government about total dengue cases in various hospitals,” she said.
Sain, however, said the MCD was taking all precautions to check the spread of the vector-borne disease and keeping a tab on the number of confirmed cases.
“Under the guidelines of the Indian government, the IgM Capture ELISA test is the standard test for dengue. Any patient who is confirmed with dengue under this test is notified to us by all leading hospitals of Delhi, including Apollo, Fortis and Ganga Ram,” he said.
“We include the confirmed cases in the final count that we release every day,” Sain added.
Preparation for the Commonwealth Games, to be held next year from Oct 3-14, has seen a rash of building and renovation activity all over the city and consequent accumulation of rubble that become breeding grounds of mosquitoes.