Siliguri Municipal Corporation steps up dengue awareness ahead of festive season

Darjeeling : Even as dengue cases remain under control in Siliguri, the Municipal Corporation is unwilling to let its guard down with the festive season approaching. Mayor Gautam Deb on Friday announced that all puja committees have been instructed to install awareness boards at their pandals.

The corporation will also distribute banners to strengthen the campaign.

Many wards of Siliguri have long been identified as a dengue-prone, with cases spiking almost every monsoon. This year, civic workers have been conducting regular door-to-door checks, ensuring stagnant water is cleared from households and neighbourhoods. As a result, only 34 people have been infected so far, all of whom have since recovered. However, with the Meteorological Department warning of more rain, the civic body has decided to intensify preventive measures.

The mayor chaired a review meeting attended by officials from the police, Siliguri District Hospital, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, and various organisations. Strict instructions have been issued to prevent waterlogging in open fields and to clear jungles on vacant plots, with property owners being billed for the clean-up. Puja committees have been directed to ensure that no water collects in bamboo poles, to clear waterlogged grounds promptly during the festivities, and to complete post-puja clean-up within a week.

“September, October, and November still lie ahead, so the rains are not over. There is no room for complacency,” said Mayor Deb. “With the festive season beginning, committees must take extra responsibility. We will send awareness banners and ensure that hoardings are displayed to spread the message. Stopping dengue is our collective responsibility.”