Will sack civic bodies that fail to check dengue: Mamata

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said some people were trying to create panic regarding dengue outbreak in the state and asserted that her government was taking adequate measures to combat the situation. Banerjee said that so far 40 people have died in the state due to vector-borne diseases.

Giving strict instructions to check spreading the outbreak, the Chief Minister said: "I will dissolve such municipalities if they don't take necessary steps despite the money given to them by the state Health department."

Banerjee held a high-level meeting at Nabanna on Monday on the present health situation in the state.

Subrata Mukherjee, Panchayat and Rural Development department minister, Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Sovan Chatterjee, Urban Development Minister, Firhad Hakim and senior representatives of other civic bodies and senior officials of the state Health department were also present in the meeting.

In the same breath after directing the municipalities to work seriously, she added: "There are two to three corporate houses creating unnecessary panic. Three persons, who didn't want formation of the West Bengal Health Regulatory Commission, are trying to garner more support and supplying wrong documents to create panic among commoners. The situation is being monitored round the clock and strict action will be taken against them."

She said there was a report that someone died due to dengue near Nabanna. But doctors have confirmed that the person didn't die due to dengue. She assured the common people that the state government is taking all necessary steps to tackle the situation and there is nothing to panic.

Confirming that so far 13 people died due to dengue in government-run hospitals and there are 27 cases which are being cross checked whether the reason behind their deaths was dengue, the Chief Minister said: "There is nothing to panic. Municipalities and panchayats have been asked to take necessary steps by reaching to the grassroot level. They had been doing it and now they have been asked to do it more seriously. The Health department has already given the required money to the municipalities. ASHA and ICDS workers are also doing door-to-door campaigns to create awareness among people so that unnecessary accumulation of water can be avoided." Banerjee also urged media to create awareness so that the advertisements given by the state government in this regard are telecast during prime time.

"Taking care of the people is my priority. I will not compromise on that. The Opposition is trying to take political mileage out of it. We have to be human first," she added.

The CM further added that people are so panicky that they are going to private hospitals where patients are being treated with mere saline and oxygen and are being charged a whopping Rs 5 to Rs 7 lakh. She said that a team from KMC was pressed to Bhangar soon after receiving the information about the outbreak there. She further stated that special teams have also been sent to places in North 24-Parganas where people have got affected by the disease. So far around 21,000 people have been affected in the state. The state will recruit 2,700 officials, including 1,600 in the health department alone.