MCD’s checkers threaten strike as mosquito breeding on the rise in Delhi

The union seeks payment of pending salaries, regularisation of their services, and other benefits as permanent municipal employees

Just when the Capital is experiencing a significant rise in the detection of mosquito larvae, the union of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)’s domestic breeding checkers (DBCs), who are public health department workers deployed to combat the spread of mosquito-borne diseases in Delhi, has threatened to go on a “general strike” beginning July 31. The union seeks payment of pending salaries, regularisation of their services, and other benefits as permanent municipal employees.

The public health department uses domestic breeding checkers to detect mosquito breeding sites, control mosquitos with larvicide and fogging, and raise public awareness about vector-borne diseases. (AFP)

According to Devanand Sharma, who heads the “Anti Malaria Ekta Karamchari Union”, the DBCs have been working as “contractual employees” for more than 28 years, and the authorities have repeatedly promised to make them regular employees, but this has never happened. “We are facing a salary gap of two to three months. Several letters were sent to the commissioner and mayor, but no action was taken. The written assurances made after our last strike in March 2022 to accommodate us as MTS (multi-tasking staff) workers have also been reneged on,” Sharma said.

The public health department uses DBCs to detect mosquito breeding sites, control mosquitos with larvicide and fogging, and raise public awareness about vector-borne diseases.

The union’s letter to mayor Shelly Oberoi and commissioner Gyanesh Bharti says the strike will begin on July 31, 2023, with a protest demonstration outside the Civic Centre on Minto Road.

MCD did not respond to a request seeking comment.

The three former corporations had over 3,500 DBCs, with approximately 1,350 DBCs working with SDMC, 1,535 with North MCD, and 710 for EDMC.

The DBC union claims that even though they have been working with MCD since 1996 when a large outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases occurred, they are still treated as daily wage labourers.

The number of potential mosquito breeding sites has increased with the city experiencing flooding and waterlogging over the last two weeks.

According to MCD’s action taken report on vector-borne diseases, issued on Monday, 16,582 houses were found to have mosquito larvae in the previous week. The number has increased significantly, with 12,495 sites detected in the weekly cycle ending on July 15, 8,889 sites detected in the weekly cycle ending on July 8 and 8,742 in the cycle ending on July 1. Between July 8 and July 22, the number of such mosquito breeding sites detected by DBCs nearly doubled.

The current level of dengue cases is the highest in six years. Compared to the 187 dengue cases reported between January 1 and July 22, 2023, the city reported 159 cases in 2022, 47 cases in 2021, 28 in 2020, 34 in 2019, and 49 in 2018. However, MCD officials attribute the increase to the disease being declared notifiable last year, resulting in better reporting from healthcare institutes.

Meanwhile, MCD announced on Thursday that a special drive was conducted in mosquito breeding hotspots, during which 108,729 premises were checked, mosquito breeding was detected in 1,769 locations, and 620 legal notices were issued to the owners.