Last Year’s Dengue Outbreak: HC hearing in limbo
The High Court is yet to deliver any order over the "partial negligence" of Dhaka city corporations regarding last year's dengue outbreak in the capital, although a judicial inquiry report on the issue was submitted to the court two months back.
According to Directorate General of Health Services, 101,354 dengue cases were reported last year, of which 49,544 were outside Dhaka. The number of deaths was 156.
An annual vacation of the court and closure of its functions due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic are delaying HC hearing and the subsequent order on this matter, Deputy Attorney General Amit Dasgupta told The Daily Star recently.
He said the HC may hold hearing and pass an order on the inquiry report after its reopening. The matter has been included in the cause list of the HC bench led by Justice Tariq ul Hakim, he said.
He said here is no legal bar for the Dhaka city corporations to conduct anti-mosquito drive although the judicial inquiry report is pending at the HC.
During the hearing of a suo moto rule, the HC bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir Lytton on November 12 last year formed the probe committee led by Dhaka District Judge Md Helal Chowdhury to identify the persons responsible for outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever and chikungunya in Dhaka.
The judicial probe committee submitted the inquiry report to the HC bench on March 10 this year through DAG Amit Dasgupta.
The committee has found partial negligence of the authorities of Dhaka north and south city corporations over the dengue outbreak last year, said sources at attorney general's office.
"Based on experts' opinions and analysis of other information, it appears that Dhaka north and south city corporations were partially negligent over dengue epidemic in 2019, but they cannot be held fully responsible for the outbreak. Besides, nobody is solely responsible for the epidemic," the committee said in the report.
The inquiry committee talked to experts on how to prevent the spawning of Aedes mosquito, which causes dengue fever. In the report, the committee said an integrated initiative is needed to prevent the spread of dengue, chikungunya, and other mosquito-borne diseases.
In its recommendations, the committee said though it is the duty of city corporations to fight mosquito, it is not possible for them to do that alone. It has to be done in a coordinated way. The probe committee also recommended taking up short-, mid- and long-term plans to fight mosquito.
It suggested forming a separate authority or body to repel mosquito centrally. Other recommendations include forming a high level or ministry level monitoring cell, examining effectiveness of insecticides and carrying out two surveys every year.