New Delhi: In a high-level review meeting held at the Delhi Secretariat, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta directed officials to adopt a more citizen-friendly approach in tackling the threat of vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, and chikungunya. The CM stressed that two warnings must be issued before imposing a challan in case mosquito breeding is found, giving residents an opportunity to act on the issue themselves.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Jal Board, and the Health Department. The Chief Minister instructed departments to initiate fogging operations earlier than usual, well ahead of the typical September schedule to preempt any outbreak during the peak mosquito breeding season.
“We must be proactive, not reactive. The next two months are crucial, and our focus must be on awareness, early surveillance, and coordinated field action,” the CM said. She emphasized that the government must act swiftly even though there is no outbreak yet, and called for special efforts in high-risk zones like parks, hospitals, schools, and construction sites.
CM Gupta also asked departments to ramp up their public awareness campaigns using all media platforms, urging active community participation. She stated that people must be given a fair chance to take preventive steps before facing penalties.
The CM said over 5.09 lakh homes have been fogged, and mosquito larvae destroyed in 71,000. Larvivorous fish were released at 279 sites. She urged officials to report shortages of medicines or equipment and called for regular cleanliness drives, tech-enabled surveillance, and public cooperation to keep Delhi dengue-free.