Several organisations have collectively submitted a representation to the Commissioner of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, to take up the work of sanitation as top priority as tens of thousands of people are suffering from epidemic diseases like viral fever, malaria, influenza, dengue, typhoid, cholera, and many more are overwhelming the hospitals and craving for Government’s empathy and action.
This epidemic is spreading like wildfire due to the contaminated water and unhygienic atmosphere which has submerged the entire city in its grip and made it a fertile ground for the breeding of mosquitoes and other carriers of communicable diseases.
A woman down with viral fever lies on the lawn of the Fever Hospital, Hyderabad ( Image courtesy: Deccan chronicle)
So far at least 50 people have lost their lives and more than 200 cases of dengue fever have been recorded while 2 lakh people are suffering from viral fever as per official records.
The social and political organisations who have written a letter and released a press statement expressed grave concern at the sufferings of the people due to the negligence and apathy of the Government.
No meetings to deal with this emergency are being conducted at any level starting from the area ward meetings to the cabinet meetings in the assembly. Even the Ministry of health is silent and inactive. There is no action from the side of the Government which is appalling the signatories said in their letter addressed to the commissioner.
The Chief Minister of Telangana is either unaware of the situation or is wilfully in oblivion, says the press statement released by the CLMC (Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee) is there is no monitoring of such a serious situation of a health emergency.
The situation has become so grim that the people are not getting the proper attention and medication in overcrowded hospitals. These hospitals also lack infrastructure and patients are forced to stay under trees in this heavy rainy season in the hospital compound.
There is garbage overflowing on the streets, water bodies are highly polluted, sewers are clogged and mosquitoes are breeding everywhere.
a open naala in one of the localities in Hyderabad ( Image courtesy: Deccan Chronicle)
The organisations say, mere slogans of Saaf Hyderabad, Shaandar Hyderabad, are not sufficient and will not work unless action plans are made and implemented to reach the goal of Saaf and Shandar Hyderabad.
They have called for immediate meetings of the area sabha, ward meetings and conduct street wise ward wise baithak/shooras/meetings for locale-specific issues so that public have a proper voice and redressal of grievances becomes easy.
Condemning the Government for its inaction, the Civil Liberties Monitoring committee and others have demanded the government to declare ‘Health Emergency to control the situation and bring down the viral diseases and improve the health conditions to provide at least some solace and relief to the sufferings of its ailing people.
Apart from CLMC,) HRF (Human Rights Forum), CHATRI(Campaign for Housing and Tenurial Rights), NAPM(National Alliance of People’s Movement) and political organisation Socialist Party (India) have demanded the government to take immediate steps to improve the situation.
Courtesy: Two Circle