Have preventive attitude to check diseases like dengue: HC

New Delhi, Sept 27: Delhi High Court has asked the civic agencies in the national capital to have a "preventive" attitude, and not curative, in order to contain spread of vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria.

"Attitude should be preventive and not curative," a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva said, adding that proper cleaning of drains could prevent spread of such diseases.

The court also questioned what the civic agencies and other local authorities were doing as it had to intervene to ensure that people of the national capital get CCTV cameras for safety, proper policing, clean drains and garbage-free streets.

"What are the authorities doing? We are working to provide CCTVs, police, cleaning of drains and garbage, for the people who are up in arms," it said.

It directed the Public Works Department (PWD) of Delhi government to file a status report indicating the manner and times at which the drains are cleaned and listed the matter for further hearing on October 28.

The court's observations came during the hearing of a PIL pertaining to cleaning up of various colonies in different districts of the capital.

The bench was also referring to another matter it was dealing with regarding the installation of CCTV cameras in the city as well as induction of additional personnel in the Delhi Police.

It also wondered "why does it not strike" the municipal corporations to provide proper gear to their employees engaged in cleaning of the 'dhalaos' (garbage dumps).

It also suggested devising another method of cleaning the dumps, instead of people manually collecting the garbage and putting it in trucks.

PTI