10 November,2011 06:55 AM IST | | Astha Saxena
Domestic breeding checkers are not allowed inside houses in posh areas, because of which it is difficult for them to put a check on the deadly vector-borne diseases, such as dengue
People living in one of the most posh areas in the Capital are the ones who are unaware of the menacing mosquito-borne diseases. According to the domestic breeding checkers (DBC) working with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), 50 per cent residents of south Delhi do not allow them to enter their houses so that they can check breeding of mosquitoes.
Mist-ified: A domestic breeding controller fogging in New Delhi. File Pic
The number of people affected by dengue reached 916 on Wednesday. As per the data provided by the MCD, out of the 916, 105 are from south Delhi and 82 are from central Delhi. These include areas such as Lajpat Nagar, South Extension and Greater Kailash. The city zone area is the least affected, with only eight people reported with the disease.
"DBC workers are available to check whether there is any mosquito breeding in the houses or nearby areas. But they are helpless when people refuse to cooperate with them. People in these areas do not let them enter their houses," said Dr V K Monga, chairman, public health committee, MCD.
Educated illiterates?
The workers complain that of 50 houses they visit in a day, 26 of them are either locked or do not allow them to do their work. "It's difficult to understand why all educated people behave in this manner. They should support us, rather than restricting us. This is why south and central zone areas remain the worst affected of dengue," said Budhram, general secretary, Anti-malaria Karamchari Sangh.
Residents of south Delhi, on their part, say that since the city is so unsafe, it is hard to let strangers enter their houses. Poonam Tanwar, a resident of Greater Kailash-1, said, "Delhi is such an unsafe city. How can we let people in like that? It is hard to believe whether they are from MCD or not."
DBC worker falls off roof
On Tuesday, one of the DBC workers fell from the roof of a house in south Delhi. The 22-year-old worker was checking the tank on the roof of the house. The DBC workers are now demanding insurance policy for all the 3,500 workers. According to them, till now, there is no insurance policy for the workers. Also, they are not even provided with any precautionary materials before going to the houses. Rakesh Kumar, chairman, Anti-malaria Karamchari Sangh, said, "There is no safety for us, no medical facility and no medical leave. We are only provided with a register and a pencil, and asked to climb roofs of houses. How can we do that when we don't have any safety measures intact?"
