The reported death of an employee of the forest corporation due to dengue has not only hit the bereaved family hard but has also heightened concern among the locals regarding diseases spread by mosquitoes in lalkuan area.
According to information receveived, Ramesh Joshi was employed at the Uttarakhand forest development corporation’s depot number one in lalkuan. A resident of Bamanpuri Sitarganj, he had complained of suffering from fever after which he had been admitted to the Sushila Tiwari Government medical college and hospital in Haldwani on November 5. His medical examination confirmed him to be a case of dengue with his blood platelette count having being recorded to have dropped down to 15,000. After this, with the condition of the patient deteriorating further, the authorities at the Government medical college and hospital at Haldwani referred Joshi to a higher centre for treatment. The family members then decided to take him to a hospital in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh but unfortunately, Ramesh Joshi breathed his last while being transported to the hospital. local sources inform that Joshi used to stay with his wife and three children on the compound of the Uttarakhand forest development corporation depot in lalkuan.
It is pertinent to mention here that there are a total of seven depots of the Uttarakhand forest development corporation in the lalkuan area. In addition to a number of families living here, a considerable number of labourers are also known to work in these seven depots of the forest corporation. However, the local sources aver and locals complaint that the public health authorities concerned have not yet ensured the facilitation of fogging to control the mosquito population and sprinkling of medicines and chemicals to tackle pests and germs. The locals also point out that being an area located in forest area, the location of the depots make the people living therein more likely to face the danger of the heightened probability of various deadly diseases including those known to be carried and spread by mosquitoes. It now remains to be seen whether the local authorities take the demise seriously and take necessary measures in the interests of public health in the area.