DIMAPUR, Sept 22: Amid rising cases of dengue and
perennial water logging woes in Dimapur, the Dimapur
District Planning and Development Board (DPDB), under the
MLA Common Pool, allocated a special package of Rs 16 lakh
to the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) for acquisition of
waste collection truck and drainage clearance.
Of this, Rs 14 lakh has been allotted for acquisition of a waste
collection trucks and Rs 2 lakh for drainage clearance
activities.
Longkumer, who is also the DPDB chairman, said a sum of Rs
10 lakh is collected from each MLA’s Local Area Development
Programme (LADP) fund for developmental and maintenance
activities in the district annually.
Longkumer said Rs 1 lakh was allocated previously to the
Dimapur revenue officer for surveying clogged drainage and
land encroachments.
DMC administrator W Manpai Phom said the allocation was
approved at the DPDB meeting on September 19.
Phom said the board also approved the implementation of a
rooster involving use of smaller vehicles for segregated waste
collection multiple times a day to ensure that a clean
Dimapur throughout the day.
Meanwhile, in the backdrop of hospitals in Dimapur being
overwhelmed by people with dengue-like symptoms, health
and family welfare minister P Paiwang Konyak held a meeting
with doctors, officials and the media at Dimapur district
hospital on Thursday.
Konyak said the state government is aware of the dengue
upswing, especially in Dimapur and Mon. However, he added
that the situation has not yet reached epidemic proportion.
Saying that the recent surge in dengue cases in Dimapur is
not alarming, the minister urged the public not to panic.
Konyal also said the situation in Dimapur did not warrant
dengue to be declared as an epidemic.
Referring to the recent data analysis collected from various
hospitals, he said out of 100, around 70% exhibited mild
fever with dengue-like symptoms while only about 30% were
confirmed dengue cases.
Konyak said out of the 30% dengue positive cases, only two
to three cases were classified as