Dengue menace: BJP stages unique protest holding mosquito nets, demands Mayor’s resignation

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday staged a unique demonstration by holding mosquito nets as a mark of protest against rising dengue cases in Bhubaneswar.

The BJP members demonstrated in front of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) office and demanded the resignation of the Mayor alleging the failure of the civic body to curb the dengue menace in the smart city.

“The BMC had made many fake promises to the residents of Bhubaneswar. They had assured to not allow drain water enter any house, and they had promised to initiate a project to spray mosquito repellent oil through drones. But all those promises turned out to be eyewash because neither any oil spray nor any drones are to be seen in Bhubaneswar,” alleged BJP’s Bhubaneswar District President, Babu Singh.

Notably, a seven-year-old child from Khandagiri area in Bhubaneswar allegedly died of dengue while undergoing treatment at a private hospital recently.

Similarly, a 62-year-old woman suffering from dengue also lost her fight against the disease. She died while undergoing treatment at Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar.

However, the State Public Health Director Niranjan Mishra on Tuesday allayed fears saying the number of dengue cases has decreased this year in comparison to last year.

“Last year during this time, around 10,000 tests were done, and out of them, 700 patients tested positive for dengue. This year, 18,000 tests have so far been done and 550 patients have tested positive for the disease,” said Mishra.