Malaria claims 52 lives in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri

Siliguri, Jun 28 : Malaria has claimed at least 52 lives in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, one of the India's most Malaria prone areas, in last two months, according to health department sources of Jalpaiguri.

They said five people have died in last 48 hours in the mosquito borne disease. They have been identified as Jadu Karoar (30), Yaspina Oraon (70), Suman Chetri (35), Roni Swarnakar (32) and Binabandhe Das (15). They were residents of Alipurduar.

Besides this over 6,000 people, majority of them tribals, have been affected by the diseases in Alipurduar and Buxaduar blocks in the district, they confirmed.

Local people alleged the health department was not enough sincere to take preventive action against the sperading of the disease, alleged secretary of Alipurduar Sahar Abhibhabak Manch Larry Basu.

He alleged the health department was ill-euipped to handle such emergecy adding many residents in the area were feeling in panick.

West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who was here last Sunday, had order to take necessary action to prevent spreading of malaria.

However, the local administration was yet to take up any action regarding this, alleged Mr Basu. He said now they would approach to the President of India to seek his intervention for some redressal.

Chief Medical officer of Health, Jalpaiguri, Bhusan Chakraborty, however, denied this and said the health department has taken proper action to prevent malaria.

He said steps were taken to determine the exact nature of the disease and at the same time preventive actions were initiated to restore health system in the affected areas.

He said a team of 71 Malaria experts will visit the places soon.

More than 15 villages, mostly tea gardens', in three blocks of Alipurduar, Buxa range and Kabehiri were affected by the mosquito borne disease.

RSP Leader and MP Joakim Buxla said the district health department was either ignore or not well-equipped to handle such emergency.He said most of the vistims were tribals, who were poor to bear expenses of medical expenditure elewhere.

Jalpaiguri district has been atop the list of India's Malaria zone since 1992. This district ahs about 6229 Sq kms of tea gardens and forest villages. This areas are mostly affected in Malaria. The diseases also found in township areas,s a tri junction of Assam, Bhutan and West Bengal. So the malaria could spread from Bhutan and Assam, sources added.

UNI