GULBARGA: Opposition leader in the Gulbarga Zilla Panchayat Subash Rathod and Chairman of the Social Justice Standing Committee Shivaraj Bhasgi on Friday criticised the State Government for its alleged indifferent attitude in tackling leptosirosis (rat fever) and the chikun guniya disease in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Rathod and Mr. Bhasgi said that it is unfortunate that Health Minister Ashok is yet to visit to the affected villages in the region.

He has not deputed any senior official to monitor the situation, they said.

Mr. Rathod said the Government has not sent a team of experts to deal with the emergency and epidemiologists to study the two diseases and suggest ways to tackle them.

He said scientists at the National Institute of Virology in Pune and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Bangalore had warned about the possibility of the outbreak of leptosirosis and the chikun guniya disease in the border districts of the State after they took an epidemic form in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra in December last. However, the Government did not consider the warning seriously.

Mr. Rathod said the health authorities are yet to diagnose whether people are suffering from leptosirosis or chikun guniya in Raichur, Bidar and Gulbarga districts. They have been providing only symptomatic treatment to the affected people.

He said the promise by Agriculture Marketing Minister Sharanabasappa Dharshanapur to provide 20 more fogging machines to the district is yet to be fulfilled.

He accused the health authorities of downplaying the situation. According to official figures, only 8,266 people have been affected, while they have information that more than 15,000 people in 300 villages in the district have been affected by leptosirosis and chikun guniya. Of the 8,266 cases, the health officials have sent blood samples of only 248 people to the NICD and NIV for tests.

Mr. Rathod said the two diseases can be controlled only if the district administration launches a massive health awareness campaign throughout the district. The Congress members in the zilla panchayat will present a memorandum to Mr. Dharshanapur when his visits Gulbarga on Sunday, he said.

Harshanand Guttedar, Bhim Tegaltippi, Ambaraya Hadgil and Srinivas Pujar, members of the zilla panchayat, were present.

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