"GNCTD has taken backseat due to pandemic" Delhi High Court takes suo motu cognisance of mosquito menace in Delhi
The Delhi High Court on Monday, 24th May 2021, took suo moto cognizance of the mosquito infestation which has afflicted the NCT of Delhi.
A bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Jasmeet Singh remarked that on account of the prevailing pandemic conditions, steps that the Municipal Corporation and the GNCTD usually took have taken a backseat.
Every year during the and after the monsoon season, there is a surge in vector borne diseases, such as Dengue, Chikungunya, Malaria, etc. According to data provided by civic bodies, 25 cases of dengue have been reported till May 22 this year while only 18 cases were reported during the same period in 2020, the Hindustan Times reported. Eight cases of malaria have been reported in the Capital till May 22, as compared to 18 during the same period last year. With the rise in fungal infections and other diseases, it is clear that a vast majority of the population of Delhi is reeling from the recent Covid – 19 wave and is at low immunity, making them susceptible to more diseases.
“If the mosquito infestation is not contained presently, with the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, the rise of such vector borne diseases would lead to myriad problems and complexities.” Said the bench.
They directed the three Municipal Corporations, i.e., the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi Municipal Corporation, East Delhi Municipal Corporation, New Delhi Municipal Council, Delhi Cantonment Board, as well as the GNCTD to place, before the Court, the steps that they have already taken, and they would be undertaking in the near future to deal with the Mosquito Infestation in the NCT of Delhi.
The court noted the acceptance of the issued notice by Mr. Divya Prakash Pande on behalf of the SDMC and Nr. DMC; Mr. Tushar Sannu on behalf of the EDMC; Ms. Sakshi Popli on behalf of the New Delhi Municipal Council; Ms. Nidhi Mohan Parashar on behalf of the Delhi Cantonment Board and Mr. Satyakam on behalf of the GNCTD and directed the respective counsel to file a status report by 27.05.2021.
Case: W.P. (C) No. __________________ OF 2021 (to be numbered) COURT ON ITS OWN MOTION
Date: 24.05.2021
Bench: Justice Vipin Sanghi And Justice Jasmeet Singh