The Opposition leader in the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has written to the state Health Minister Jay Narayan Vyas apprising him about the rising number of dengue cases and seeking immediate preventive measures.

In his letter, Chirag Zaveri said the city is witnessing a spurt in dengue cases, but the VMC is deliberately ignoring the issue. “The entire southern part of the city is reeling under the epidemic-like situation. Everyday, cases of swine flu, malaria and more importantly dengue are reported in large number and the health department is yet to wake up to the situation,” Zaveri said.

He added: “Every year, the VMC pays Rs 6 crore to the contractors for door-to-door garbage collection, but due to connivance of contractors and VMC officials, the services are on just on paper. All the areas on the city outskirts have become completely unhygienic. This has resulted into rise in the number of dengue cases.”

He further said that after visiting the Tarsali area in the South Zone, he came across as many as six dengue cases at the Anukruti Hospital and three patients were being treated at the Vinayak Hospital.

“If there are nine cases from one area, it proves what kind of cleaning operations are carried out by the contractors,” Zaveri said.

On his part, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Health) A O Sharma said that private doctors in the city ask the patients to get dengue tests done in specific laboratories so that they can earn some extra money.

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