Amicus Curiae to look into mosquito menace in Delhi

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has appointed advocate Rajat Aneja as Amicus Curiae to assist the Court in suggesting ways to deal with the menace of large scale breeding of mosquitoes in the national capital, which results in vector-borne diseases such as malaria, chikungunya, and dengue, causing numerous fatalities every year.

Amicus Curiae, which literally translates as a friend of the court, is a neutral lawyer appointed by the court to assist it in cases that require specific expertise.

In one of its recent order, the court said it is necessary to monitor the issue closely so that the systems are put in place by all the three Corporations, the New Delhi Municipal Council, the Delhi Cantonment Board, and by the GNCTD, and the said menace can be checked on a more permanent basis.

Also, status reports from the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi Municipal Corporation, East Delhi Municipal Corporation, New Delhi Municipal Council, and the Delhi Cantonment Board have been filed in the Court on Court's direction.

During the course of hearing, it has been suggested by Dr. Aniket Sirohi, Deputy Health Officer, SDMC that the Court may also take the assistance of Dr. Kalpana Barua, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), who is an expert in the field or any other expert at the hearing of the petition.

On December 1, the High Court had pulled up the AAP-led Delhi government and BJP-led municipal corporations over their inaction in containing the rising dengue fever cases in the city, saying policies were being made in populist ways and the authorities are concerned about losing votes if they do anything.

Taking note of the conditions in the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) area, the court had said the stench is unbearable in the locality.

It also stated that the authorities are not bothered about the deaths, and officials are living with the attitude that since there is a large population, the disease will come and go.