Corporators sceptical of civic body’s promises

Facing flak from various quarters over its poor handling of the spread of malaria, a cornered Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced a series of measures to counter the disease effectively. Corporators, however, are not convinced with the civic body’s promise to act.

Facing flak from various quarters over its poor handling of the spread of malaria, a cornered Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced a series of measures to counter the disease effectively. Corporators, however, are not convinced with the civic body’s promise to act.

HT Image

The civic body said it would embark on a mapping of the city’s malaria cases, thus helping it identify the hotspots where the disease has hit the hardest.

The BMC claims such an exercise will help identify the trend of the spread of the disease.

Additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar, handling the health portfolio, said, “Our laboratories have the capacity to test as many as 3,000 to 5,000 slides per day. Our plan of action will be to inform the local wards where cases have been detected and then detect the trend.”

Mhaiskar said the civic body would begin tie-ups with various private hospitals that will help it map the disease’s trend. “According to the figures that they receive, private hospitals could also give us a lot of information which can help us control the spread of malaria.”

Corporators believe these are empty promises. “The BMC is talking about various plans for the future. The question is what are we doing right now to control the spread of the disease and has there been a review of what they have been doing for so long?” asked Bharatiya Janata party corporator and standing committee member Ashish Shelar.

Shelar criticised plans to map the cases in the city. “The civic body has no mechanism to map these cases, or to create malarial zones according to the cases.”

According to independent corporator Adolf D’souza, the BMC doesn’t have the motivation to embark on such grand drives. “These plans are announced, but never implemented,” he said.