Kirari in North-West district housing migrant population from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar is reeling under the dengue menace. If the residents are to be believed, at least 40 people have died in Kirari alone in North-West Delhi, with dengue-like symptoms.
In the Kirari crematorium situated in Prem Nagar (I) about 35 people have been cremated and in the Kirari kabristan (graveyard) located in Inder Enclave about 5 people have been buried who had dengue like symptoms, such as high fever, headache and nausea, according to residents.
More than 1,000 people have taken ill in Kirari with symptoms like dengue, but the officials of MCD health wing are so disconnected with reality that their records show only 29 cases of dengue reported from the Kirari Vidhan Sabha, said residents.
This epidemic like situation in Kirari could have easily been avoided had “fogging” been done in the area and major “cleanliness drives” were carried out by the civic agencies just after the rains, said residents.
The Congress worker from Kirari, Pratyush Kanth claimed that the official MCD figure in ward numbers 33 is 08; 34 is 12; 35 is 04 and 36 is 05. “It is a shame that this is how the Government figures are fudged and the Government agencies play with the life of the poor and the underprivileged people who live in Kirari”, Kanth said.
The in-charge of Kirari crematorium Pundit Kamal Kishore said 64 cremations took place in Kirari in the last one month. “More than 35 people who were cremated here complained of dengue like symptoms. Many more people have died here but their families have taken the body to their native places in Bihar or UP for cremation as more than 90 per cent people living here are Poorvanchalis,”, said Idris, the head of the kabristan. He added that 19 people were buried in the last 30 days and more than 5 had died with dengue like symptoms.
“Dengue is widespread here. Kirari offers the best breeding ground for mosquito breeding with stagnant water, open sewage and piles of dirt and filth splattered everywhere,” alleged Kanth. Unlike all other 69 assembly constituencies of Delhi, Kirari is unique for the fact that just in a radius of 4 kilometer more than 7.5 lakh migrants are living here, with a very high rate of unemployment, no hospitals or ambulances. Government schools are in deplorable condition, non-existent roads, open sewage all over and shockingly huge queues in front of ration shops.
There is absolutely no medical facility in Kirari. The nearest Government hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Hospital is at least 5 odd kilometers away from Kirari and there are at least two to three patients on one bed here. More than 95 per cent residents of Kirari cannot afford the NS 1 positive/negative blood test for Rs1,500,” said Kanth.