Commonwealth Games Village officials fined for allowing dengue-causing mosquitoes to breed

New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has imposed fines on the officials at the Commonwealth Games Village for having allowed water to stagnate on its construction sites.

These sites have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes that cause dengue, according to Kanwar Sain, Mayor of Delhi.

Kanwar Sain told reporters that an inspection conducted by the officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi a week ago found that the Commonwealth Games Village in East Delhi has turned into a breeding place for mosquitoes.  Other news: Commonwealth Games accommodation preparations

Sain rejected the allegation raised by Kiran Walia, Health Minister of Delhi, that the MCD has failed to curb the mounting number of dengue cases in Delhi, by saying that the Municipal Corporation is “doing its best” to restrain the spreading of dengue.

Health Minister Kiran Walia also accused the Municipal Corporation of not taking proper measures to check the breeding of mosquitoes in Delhi, in spite of “several reminders” and that the Health Officer of the MCD of not bothering to inform the government of Delhi about the total number of dengue cases in various hospitals.

Kiran Walia said the Delhi government has decided to issue public notices, advertisements as well as the dos and don’ts intended to create awareness among the residents about the way the vector-borne dengue spreads.

She added that three hospitals run by the Delhi government – Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital, Hedgewar Hospital, and Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital – will prepare and formulate the blood platelets.

In addition, emergency services in all hospitals will function round the clock to attend to dengue patients, and those hospitals which fail to furnish reports on dengue patients face prosecution.

The Health Minister appealed to the residents of Delhi not to wash their cars and two-wheelers in order to prevent accumulation of water on the streets and in pits.

Already, two persons have died of dengue in and around Delhi, and about 550 people are suffering from the vector-borne disease.

There has been an increase this year in the number of people afflicted by dengue because of late rains in Delhi, according to Mayor Kanwar Sain. The situation will be brought under control next year, and there will be no dengue problem during the Commonwealth Games, he added.

According to the guidelines of the Central Government, the standard test for dengue is the IgM Capture ELISA test. Any patient who is confirmed to be suffering from dengue, after undergoing this test, is notified to the Municipal Corporation by all leading hospitals of Delhi, the Mayor said.

There has been a spate of activities related to building and renovation all over Delhi in the run-up to the 2010  Commonwealth Games, to be held from October 3-14, 2010. This has resulted in the buildup of a lot of rubble, which has eventually become breeding grounds of dengue-causing mosquitoes.