Chennai
Claiming that 10 people were dying daily due to dengue in the state, Stalin, in a statement, said that media reports bearing evidences put the casualty numbers at over 400, but the state health secretary has ‘wrongly’ claimed that only 26 people have died due to dengue in the state. “The Horse-trading government has attempted to cover up the truth,” Stalin said.
However, the DMK working president was quick to welcome “some truth” in the statement of the same bureaucrat who had admitted that over 10,000 people were affected by dengue in the state. Stalin, who visited dengue patients in his Kolathur constituency, said the disease could have been completely controlled had solid waste been removed and water bodies thoroughly cleaned in the corporation limits. Criticizing the sanitary works being undertaken by the government in Dengue affected areas, Stalin said that it was shameful that the government had failed to take preventive measures and control dengue.
Monitor electoral roll revision
Later, writing to his cadre, Stalin asked the party functionaries to engage in electoral roll revision to prevent the alleged irregularities being planned by the ruling party. Claiming that reports suggest that AIADMK was planning to influence election officers and enroll bogus voters in constituencies where his party was strong, Stalin recalled at length the schedule of the recently announced electoral roll preparation and verification and asked DMK cadre to monitor the process to prevent irregularities in electoral roll preparation.
Anbumani demands declaration of med emergency
PMK youth wing leader and former Union Health minister Anbumani Ramadoss, on Thursday, said the number of people in Tamil Nadu affected by dengue had crossed 13,000 and demanded the declaration of medical emergency in the state.
He said the Indian Public Health Association had stated that 12,500 people in Tamil Nadu had been affected with dengue and suggested that the disease could be checked only through a declaration of medical emergency. Through such declaration, additional funds and doctors could be obtained from the centre, he said.
The number of dengue deaths had risen to 90 and 18 persons had died due to dengue in the last two days, he added.
He recalled the promise of Health Minister C Vijayabaskar on August 9 that dengue would be controlled in ten days and that Amma government had the capacity the power to drive away any disease including dengue.
But, even after two months, the number of people dying due to dengue was increasing, Anbumani added. Most of the deaths had occurred in Pudukottai, Salem, Kanchipuram, Thiruvallur, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagapattinam, Vellore and Krishnagiri, he said and added that the measures for giving Nilavembu soup was started only after the situation went out of hand.
Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!
Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!
Click here for iOS
Click here for Android