‘A reminder of DSCC’s failure’
An empty can of condensed milk, stood beside a tea cup. A spoon, a toy. A t-shirt and a mug.
These and more lay in front of the speakers' table at a protest exhibit yesterday, organised by a group of Jurain residents, one of the areas hardest-hit by the ongoing dengue crisis.
They belonged to people from the area who were infected by the mosquito-borne viral disease. Some of them alive, some no longer so.
The exhibition was held near the Supreme Court area's Kodom Fountain.
The residents blamed Dhaka South City Corporations for their mishandling of the crisis and demanded the belongings be showcased in Dhaka Nagar Jadughar, as a reminder of the city corporation's failure.
Mijanur Rahman, a resident of the ward, said "Exhibiting the items in the museum will showcase the failure of the city corporation authorities to protect the city's people."
In the last three months, 20 people from Jurain's Ward-53 alone died from the virus.
The empty condensed milk can and tea cup belonged to deceased tea-seller Fatema, while the T-shirt and mug belonged to Bangla daily Prothom Alo staffer Abul Kalam Azad. The rest of them were collected from people who are currently suffering from dengue fever.
Palash Devnath, father of Alongkita (5) who is suffering from dengue, said DSCC thinks their responsibility is finished after fogging the streets, but they do nothing to take care of larvae breeding grounds inside houses.
"When I noticed larvae breeding inside our building, I notified the landlord. When he did not take any steps, I complained to the DSCC authorities. But they also didn't do anything to protect my daughter," he said.
"The ward councillor and authorities should work round the
year to control the dengue menace," Mizanur Rahman said, adding that there are over 1,000 dengue patients in Jurain area currently.
"But the ward councillor denies it and says only 250 is infected," Mizanur added.
Only the fear of being fined cannot make people clean their houses and surroundings, people need to be made aware too, he also said.
Mizan said though city corporations are conducting anti-mosquito drives in their areas but they are not up to the mark.
He also said though city corporations conduct mobile court drives and impose fines, frightening citizens, they don't hold up their side of the bargain.
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