PHC summons officials as dengue spreads unchecked

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday summoned the secretary health and deputy commissioner in a writ petition against the government for not taking effective steps to prevent the spread of the dengue virus in the provincial metropolis.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Lal Jan Khattak and Justice Abdul Shakoor directed the secretary health, district health officer and Peshawar deputy commissioner to appear before the court on August 22. They were asked to explain what measures have been taken to tackle the spread of dengue virus.

The petition was filed by Saifullah Mohib Kakakhel advocate. He sought order of the court for the district and provincial governments to take immediate steps for containing and eliminating dengue virus.

According to the petition, 10 people have died of dengue and hundreds have been infected recently. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government through chief secretary, secretary health, secretary local government, secretary law and deputy commissioner, Peshawar, were made parties to the petition.

The lawyer argued that hundreds of people, especially in Tehkal, University Road and Warsak Road, were infected with dengue virus.“Now even the hospitals have stopped taking patients because they lack space and the patients are sent back to their houses and left at the mercy of God,” the petitioner claimed.

About the reasons behind the spread of dengue virus, the petitioner stated that the respondents have dug the University Road for the construction of Bus Rapid Transit and there is now stagnant water in all the dugout places, which has bred the dengue carrying mosquitoes.

As interim relief, the court was requested to direct the respondents to start fumigation drive in Peshawar to save people from dengue virus and also provide free health facilities to the infected patients.