The Madhya Pradesh High Court has recently directed the Collector, Jabalpur, and Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Jabalpur to continue to undertake a drive for raising awareness among the public to curb the spread of dengue in the city.
The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav heard a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) filed by Saurabh Sharma seeking a direction to the authorities to prevent the spread of diseases like dengue, which allegedly spread due to lack of cleanliness in municipal limits.
Siddharth Sharma, counsel appearing for the respondent Municipal Corporation, submitted that the respondents have taken all necessary steps including regular fogging of areas affected to contain the spread of dengue. Municipal authorities are getting regular surveys conducted in areas for water accumulation and have imposed fines where they found larva.
It is contended that municipal authorities are regularly in touch with the hospitals to identify the areas from where the dengue patients are coming and steps are being taken in those areas for fogging of affected areas.
Not only the survey is being conducted and steps are taken to eliminate larva, bigger fogging machines are engaged, in small areas having difficulty of access, hand fogging machines which are manually operated, are being put to use, Siddharth Sharma added.
In view of the above, the Court directed the Collector, Jabalpur and Commissioner Municipal Corporation, Jabalpur to continue to undertake drive for raising awareness among the public by use of loudspeaker and also putting hoardings/pamphlets on important sites to educate people for steps required to be taken to contain the spread of dengue in the city.
The Court has fixed the matter on October 26 for further hearing.