Kolkata: Dengue cases increased by 40% in some pockets of Salt Lake and Rajarhat-Gopalpur under the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) during Durga Puja. As many as 72 fresh cases have been reported in the last fortnight.
From Jan to Sept, 108 cases were reported in the BMC areas. As many as 61 cases were reported in Sept itself. However, the number of cases has dipped sharply compared to last year, when close to 3,000 cases were reported till the second week of Oct.
BMC ward 29, the BMC mayor's ward covering Salt Lake Sector II, has been the most affected with 35 cases reported from here in the last 15 days. A senior officer of Bidhannagar commissionerate was also affected by dengue and had to be hospitalised.
Civic officials said there had only been “a marginal increase” in cases in the past few weeks. "The numbers are still very low compared to last few years. Intensive vector-borne disease control drive is on," said a BMC official.
The civic authorities had earlier sent notices to several state and central govt offices in and around Salt Lake, urging them to keep their premises clean to prevent breeding of mosquitoes. The weekly clean-up of water bodies and ponds in different places are also underway. The authorities had repeatedly urged the puja organisers to dismantle the pandals and clear the places to prevent water stagnation.