HC indicts authorities for not combating dengue

New Delhi, Oct 6 (UNI) Severely indicting the Centre, Delhi Government and the civic bodies, the Delhi High Court today said had the authorities taken steps 17 precious lives would not have been lost to degue epidemic in the Capital.

A division bench of acting Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Kailash Gambhir expressed serious concern over the deaths and spread of the disease and directed the authorities to file affidavits mentioning steps taken to prevent the epidemic within 10 days in pursuant to the direction of the court given since 1996.

Adjourning the matter till October 17, the court said it was due to lethargic, and apathetic attitude of the authorities that the dengue epidemic was recurring almost every year.

''If the authorities did not act today, the city would be engulfed with dengue today, chikungunya tomorrow and some other disease the day after,'' said the bench in its order.

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