'KMC is keeping daily record of dengue'

Kolkata: Member Mayor-in-Council (Health) Atin Ghosh claimed on Tuesday that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is keeping a daily record of dengue cases and is not concealing figures related to the disease.

Ghosh's response came in the wake of Left Front Councillors alleging that the civic body is not presenting the actual facts and figures of dengue at the monthly meeting at KMC.

"The change in the weather conditions and the environment has triggered dengue across the country and Kolkata is not an exception. We had witnessed this drastic change in weather conditions from the month of December last year and hence, right from January 7, we began awareness campaigns across the city.

Kolkata is the only city where regular morning data collection system is being carried out. We have been running campaigns through FM channels as well. As many as 2,000 hoardings and 1,200 flexes with message of dengue awareness has been put up and LED vans have campaigned in all the wards showing short documentaries on dengue awareness across the city," Ghosh said.

Ghosh reiterated that if dengue in Kolkata has reached alarming proportions, then the private laboratories would have not shut its clinics during the Pujas while the KMC health centres were opened. "We have done 12,000 NS1 tests that accounts for 70 percent of the total tests done in the city," Ghosh added.

He blamed the Left Councillors for not checking the daily figures of dengue with the borough offices or with KMC's Health department.

Meanwhile, Chairman of Borough XI

Tarakeshwar Chakraborty appealed to all Councillors to join their hands in his department and constantly put efforts to prevent dengue in the city and not to indulge in blame games for the sake of petty politics.

The discussion over the issue of dengue went on for nearly two hours with the Left Councillors insisting that the Health department of KMC should not conceal the real figures of dengue affected people.

Leader of Left Front Ratna Roy Majumder alleged lack of coordination between some departments of KMC in combating dengue. They even staged a walkout while Ghosh was addressing the members.