Plea in HC for contempt action against MCDs

Inaction on dengue cases 

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the stand of the three MCDs on a plea for contempt action against them for alleged non-compliance of judicial orders to prevent recurrence of vector-borne diseases, like dengue, in the national capital.

Justice Sunil Gaur issued notice to the commissioners of the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCDs) and sought their replies to the contempt plea filed by a lawyer. 

With the direction, the court listed the matter for further hearing on March 19, 2019. 

Advocate Arpit Bhargava, in his petition, has contended that the three MCDs have not complied with repeated orders of the high court to take steps, like ensuring cleanliness, fogging and spraying of insecticides, to prevent mosquito breeding in Delhi. 

The court has been, for the last three years, issuing periodic directions to the municipal bodies to take steps for preventing spread of vector-borne diseases which usually see an increase after the onset of monsoon, the petition said. 

The directions were issued by the high court in two separate PILs filed by Bhargava and advocate Gauri Grover, seeking directions to the authorities to prevent spread of the vector-borne diseases, the plea said. 

It has claimed that there has been "deliberate and wilful non-compliance and violation of repeated orders of the high court". 

Bhargava has contended dengue deaths have started taking place this year again, "which shows complete failure of all government machinery in controlling spread of vector borne diseases". 

"It is very much evident that the authorities have done nothing for the prevention of such vector-borne diseases and are moreover neglecting the fact that these vector-borne diseases rise soon after the monsoon season. 

"No heed has been paid to effective implementation of solid waste management bye laws drafted under the supervision of the high court itself," the petition has said. 

It has also alleged that no outreach and awareness campaigns, as ordered several times by the court, were ever conducted by the three MCDs. 

The plea has also claimed that no periodic visits of homes, particularly those located in slum areas, are being carried out to check for mosquito breeding and further, no geographical mapping of vulnerable areas has been done as was ordered by the court.