Time Digital News: The High Court today Reprimanded the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) for its failure to eradicate mosquitoes in the capital's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and its surrounding area.
"It appears from the compliance report that the Dhaka North City Corporation has allocated a huge sum of money [Tk 76 crore] and undertaken different programmes to kill the mosquitoes.
But there is no fruitful result to this effect," the bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil told DNCC lawyer Rimi Nahreen during the hearing a writ petition.
Writ petitioner Advocate Tanvir Ahmed confirmed the matter to us.
"People are coming down with dengue originating from Aedes mosquito. They are getting admitted into hospital and are dying every day. Why can't you [DNCC] eradicate the mosquitoes? If you [DNCC] are dysfunctional, you can quit the office," the bench said.
The HC bench also ordered the DNCC, civil aviation authorities and the Directorate General of Health Services to work in collaboration to eliminate the mosquito menace and to submit a report in this regard before it by February 15 next year.
The writ petition was filed as a public interest litigation by Supreme Court lawyer Md Tanvir Ahmed in March 2019, seeking a directive from the HC on the officials concerned to take steps for tackling the mosquito menace in the airport area.
Following the petition, the HC on March 12, 2019, issued a rule asking officials concerned to explain why their inaction to eradicate mosquitoes at the airport and its surrounding area should not be declared illegal.
During the hearing today, DNCC's lawyer Rimi Nahreen submitted the compliance report on behalf of the DNCC before the HC saying that the DNCC has taken up crash programmes including spraying medicine for eliminating mosquitoes.
The DNCC has been building public awareness and working with the Civil Aviation authority and DGHS and allocated Tk 76 crore to eliminate mosquitoes in the capital's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and its surrounding areas, the lawyer told the court citing the compliance report.
Petitioner Tanvir Ahmed opposed the DNCC's compliance report saying that the DNCC is claiming that it has been creating public awareness about the mosquito menace, but public awareness will not work if drains and ponds are filled with polluted water which is a breeding field for mosquito.
DNCC's counsel Rimi told us that the HC expressed concern at the deaths of people due to dengue fever caused by the Aedes mosquito.
She also said she is yet to receive the written order from the HC on this issue.
Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy represented the state during the hearing today.
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