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Fight against dengue Deployment of forces, police meant political establishment has failed again - SL UNP MP Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena
Monday, 19 July 2010 - 9:47 AM SL Time
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In the wake of the government s failure to fully mobilize UPFA-run PCs and LGs to curb the rapid spread of dengue, politicians have turned to the armed forces and police for urgent help.
The Health authorities told The Island that the Western Province, particularly Colombo and its suburbs were the worst hit by the disease. They said that despite formation of a Presidential Task Force to coordinate anti-dengue operations among various ministries nothing had been achieved.
Responding to a query by The Island, sources said that PCs and LGs had largely ignored directives issued from Colombo, though the government was yet to take punitive action against the offending bodies. Sources revealed that at a recent meeting chaired by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Central Environment Authority (CEA) was ordered to move courts against failed local bodies and publicly humiliate them.
UNP MP Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena said that the UPFA could not pass the responsibility of battling dengue to PCs and LGs, thereby shielding the top SLFP leadership. He blamed the ruling coalition for its failure to adopt a cohesive strategy to meet the threat. He said that the armed forces and police had come to the rescue of bungling UPFA politicians.
Could anything be as ridiculous as deploying security forces and police to clean up public places, while those responsible for this mess go Scot free? Gampaha District MP Jayawardena asked. He said that if the Health Ministry accepted the Western province was the worst-hit by dengue, the government should take it up with Governor Alavi Moulana, Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga and the Health Minister of the WPC. He challenged the government to take legal action against politicians and officials for failing to do their job on the basis people were held responsible for allowing dengue breeding places on their premises.
The Special Task Force on Saturday (July 17) joined the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) to clean up the Colombo University premises. MP Jayawardena pointed out that the government should call for explanation from the University administration for its failure to keep the premises clean. MP Jayawardena said that he could not understand why the STF had to be called in to destroy dengue breeding places, particularly at a University. The University administration and the Education Ministry should be ashamed that they had to depend on security forces to clean the environs of the University.
The STF says they also cleared Eldeniya and Obeysekerapura areas. In other parts of the country, the armed forces and police had been deployed in support of PCs and LGs.
Health sources said that Chief Minister of the Uva Province Sashindra Rajapaksa recently declared that anyone locating a dengue mosquito breeding place in the province would receive Rs. 1,000 for each location he detected. The CM would not have made this statement had he been fully briefed of the situation, sources said, adding that some may even go to the extent of creating such breeding places to win the reward.
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