Punjab Labour Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar on Saturday said that despite favourable temperature and unexpected rains dengue is totally under control and for this achievement, the government departments deserve appreciation who worked on the anti-dengue strategy with the cooperation of public representatives.
He said, “Dengue is our combine enemy and a comprehensive plan should be evolved to involve local community in all anti-dengue efforts.”
He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting held at commissioner’s office to review the anti-dengue campaign. Lawmakers Raja Javed Ikhlas, Tahira Aurengzeb, Malik Ibrar, Zaibunnisa Awan, Seema Jilani, Raja Hanif, Malik Iftikhar, Tehseen Fawad, Iftikhar Warsi and officers of health, education, environment and agriculture were also present.
Sarwar said that graveyards could be the breeding grounds of dengue larvae, therefore departments concerned should work on war footing to clean all graveyards and the local community should also be involved in this activity.
He said that to make anti-dengue steps more effective, a latest IT-based pilot project of geo-tagging is being launched with the cooperation of Fatima Jinnah Women University. He said that initially this project would only be for one union council and extended to other UCs after evaluating its effectiveness.
Sarwar said that administration of Rawalpindi and federal capital should work in close liaison for the monitoring of anti dengue steps in bordering areas of twin cities. Heaps of garbage and encroachment should immediately be removed from IJP road, he added.
Briefing the meeting, the officials said that Rawalpindi Health Department has made an equipment to capture dengue mosquito for testing and its initial analysis on self-help basis. The cost of this equipment is much less than its market price, they added.