Rs Two Crore released to fight Chikungunya in DK District:Minister

Sullya, Karnataka, June 7 (UNI) The Karnataka Government has released Rs Two Crore under Chief Minister Calamity Fund to fight against Chikungunya in Dakshina Kannada District, Minister Krishna Palemar said today.

Addressing Officers after visiting the affected places and patients in Government Hospital along with BJP State President D V Sadananda Gowda, he said that the government had already released Rs 46 lakhs to control the disease including for fogging, spraying and free distribution of medicines both allopathic, ayurvedic and homeopathy medicines to the patients of in the three taluks of Sullya, Puttur and Belthangady.

He also announced that arrangements would be made for the free distribution of 10 kg rice to each family of BPL category in all three affected taluks.

Mr Gowda, who also spoke, blamed the district administration for not taking adequate precautionary steps to control the disease though it was first reported during February last. As the people's representatives and political leaders could not take any direct action when the disease took alarming situation during April and May due to model code of conduct, the district administration with the assistance of health department could have tackled the problem so that it could have prevented the spread of the disease, he said.

He announced that orders have been placed with a company in Raichur for the supply of 100 fogging machine to destroy the mosquitoes responsible for the epidemic Chikungunya disease.

Both Mr Palemar and Mr Gowda warned that action would be taken against those officials who failed to work sincerely and with commitment in controlling the disease.

Earlier the officials from the health department who admitted that every family in all 41 villages were affected the symptoms of Chikungunya disease, however, failed to give the accurate figures of the cases in the four taluks including Bantwal. According to the officials, the number of cases with fever reported in the government hospitals and Primary Health Centres was 15,000 without taking into account the number of cases reported in private hospitals and clinics. According to one estimate, the total number of cases in the four taluks was over one lakh patients. The officials said that there were five positive cases of Chikungunya reported in Sullya.

But the number of patients who visited the government hospital and private hospitals and clinics and complaints with fever and joint paints in Sullya till yesterday alone was 39,471 which was admitted by the local health officer in Sullya.

UNI MA MSP TS1951