The Madras High Court has ordered notices to the Tamil Nadu government as well as Greater Chennai Corporation to file a status report on the steps taken to control the spread of dengue in the state.
The HC order came after a public interest litigation petition, which also sought Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased, was filed. The court was also asked to direct the government and city corporation to provide free and immediate treatment for dengue patients in private hospitals of their choice.
The bench was headed by Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and N. Seshasayee, who have sought the response of the government as well as the Corporation by October 15. The judges also focused on the need for people to have greater civic sense, and ensure that their surroundings were kept clean and hygienic. The steps were taken in order to avoid spread of such epidemics and not to litter around in common public spaces.
The judges told advocate A.P. Suryaprakasam, who had filed the PIL petition and argued it in person, “There cannot be absolute insulation from any illness. The Society to has to cooperate with the establishment. Citizens alone have to keep their surroundings clean, only an aberration can be rectified by the authorities.”
The petitioner also pointed out how the city corporation was also responsible for breeding of mosquitoes. He mentioned that by turning a blind eye to unclaimed and abandoned vehicles parked on roadsides for years together, they let the mosquitoes breed. He referred to Avvai Shanmugam Salai, after which the judges pulled up the corporation officials for not maintaining pavements properly. The judges asked a government counsel, “Why did you widen the pavements in the city if they were going to be used only as vehicle parking lots.”
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