Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Monday observed that the government along with the two city corporations of Dhaka cannot avoid the responsibility for not importing effective medicine in time to prevent dengue menace.
The court fixed August 28 for passing an order on whether a judicial commission will be constituted to probe into the incident of deaths due to dengue and chikunguniya, another mosquito-borne disease.
The High Court Bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Md Shohrowardy passed the observations while hearing a Suo Moto rule issued in this regard. Barrister Taufiq Inam Tipu appeared in the court on behalf of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Barrister Sayeed Ahmed Raja appeared for Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), while Deputy Attorney General Kazi Mainul Hasan stood for the State.
The LGRD Ministry, DNCC and DSCC on Monday submitted three reports in the court on what steps they have taken to fight dengue menace complying with court’s earlier order passed on August 20 in this regard.
In its report, the LGRD Ministry said that the government is working to formulate a long-term plan to prevent dengue and chikunguniya in future.
DSCC authorities said, in their report, said they have imported two kinds of medicine from an Indian company and it is being sprayed in different areas from August 10. And the DGHS authorities, in their report, have stated that the number of dengue patients is decreasing across the country.
The DSCC lawyer said, “We appealed to the government so that they import medicine. But the appeal was denied due to bureaucratic complexity. That is why we did not spray medicine for seven days.”
However, the DNCC lawyer didn’t get opportunity to read their report in the court.
After hearing the parties, the court expressed dissatisfaction over the steps of the concerned bodies of the government along with the DNCC and DSCC for their failure to kill dengue mosquitoes and to import effective medicine in time.
The court said, “The government along with the two city corporations of Dhaka cannot avoid the responsibility for not importing effective medicine in time to kill dengue mosquitoes. People are dying of dengue. We will pass order on August 28 on whether a judicial commission will be constituted to probe into it.”
Earlier on July 14, the same HC Bench ordered the DNCC and DSCC Mayors and CEOs, Health Secretary, LGRD Secretary, and DG of DGHS to submit reports on what steps have been taken by them to prevent dengue and chikunguniya.
The same day court also issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the inaction and failure of the respondents to prevent dengue mosquitoes should not be declared illegal.
A record 63,514 dengue-infected people went to hospitals this year, according to the DGHS.
The number is five times that of last year. The total number of infected people is likely to be even higher, because many cases go unreported.
At least 5,940 people are currently admitted to different hospitals across the country.
