Peshawar admin ‘busy in photo shoots’ as dengue cases soar to 600
Officials claim steps being taken but locals say no concrete work has been done so far
August 16, 2017
PESHAWAR: As the number of dengue patients in the city has reached 600 in almost a month, locals believe the district administration is busy in photo shoots and is not doing actual work to curb the virus.
According to Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Saqib Raza Aslam, they are not only fumigating areas to kill the dengue mosquitoes but have also dispatched 50 to 60 lady health workers who are going door-to-door to spread awareness about the virus.
The deputy commissioner said cases have surfaced from Pishtakhara Bala area of Peshawar, where they have carried out a door-to-door survey.
Most of the cases are from Tehkal, the rear of which is a rural area. The virus is said to be thriving in Tehkal as a large number of automobile repair shops are situated there. The water kept in open containers to wash tyres and for other related work serves as the breeding ground for dengue.
However, locals deny the claims made by the district administration, saying nothing is being done to curb the virus. The people of Peshawar said officials of the district administration came in the vulnerable areas only to get photos taken pretending to do work. But, they added, since the cases were increasing by the day it showed no concrete steps have been taken so far.
As per the administration of Khyber Teaching Hospital, five of the patients brought to the facility since June have succumbed to the dengue virus.
Blaming the Metro project
A local, Advocate Saifullah Mohib, has submitted a petition in Peshawar High Court, saying the digging done for the Metro Bus Project was serving as a breeding ground for dengue mosquitoes with rainwater standing in the ditches.
According to the petition, dengue has become an epidemic, mostly affecting people from a low-income background, residing in Tehkal, University Road and Warsak Road areas.
Therefore, the petitioner has requested the court to direct the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to take measures like the Punjab government has and also arrange for free treatment of patients suffering from the virus.
