'32 districts of Bihar under Kalazar grip'

Patna, Apr 17: Union Rural Devlopment Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has claimed that about 32 districts of Bihar were in the grip of Kalazar.

Mr Singh, in a fax message to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar yesterday, expressed concern and requested him to take immediate steps.

Referring to a data projected by specialists of Kalazar, Mr Singh said more than 50,000 people, mostly from backward classes and dalits, were suffering from the disease which calims over 10,000 people every year.

He also referred to his two earlier letters expressing the concern about the tropical disease caused by the parasitic protozoan, Leishmania Donovani, which is transmitted to man by sandflies.

''DDT should have been spread at least two times in the affected districts from February till June this year'', he said.

He said there was a Central fund to combat the disease and about 2000 tonne of DDT and medicines worth Rs 14 crore had so far been dispatched to the state.

Mr Singh demanded that DDT should be sprayed at least twice till June this year and requested him to set up medical camps for treatment in the worst affected localities.

He also demanded mobile medical vans, supply of medicines, nutritious food and Kalazar eradication drive every month.

UNI