Dengue Outbreak of 2019: HC yet to hold hearing on city corporations’ ‘partial negligence’

Eight months have passed since a judicial probe committee submitted  an inquiry report to the High Court over the "partial negligence" of  Dhaka city corporations regarding last year's dengue outbreak in the  capital.

But,  the High Court is yet to hold any hearing or deliver any order on the  issue because of the closure of its regular functions amid the Covid-19 pandemic and reconstitution of the bench concerned of the  court.

According  to Directorate General of Health Services, 101,354 dengue cases were  reported last year, of which 49,544 were outside Dhaka. The number of  deaths was 156.

During  the hearing of a suo moto (voluntary) rule, the HC bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim  and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir Lytton on November 12 last year formed the  probe committee led by Dhaka District Judge Md Helal Chowdhury to  identify the persons responsible for the outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases  like dengue and chikungunya in Dhaka.

The judicial probe committee submitted the inquiry report to the HC bench on March 10 this year through DAG Amit Dasgupta.

The  committee has found partial negligence of the authorities of Dhaka  north and south city corporations over the dengue outbreak last year,  said sources at the attorney general's office.

The court was closed from March 25 to August 11 this year.

Meanwhile, the HC bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir Lytton was reconstituted after the former was promoted as a  judge of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on September 1. Justice Tariq ul Hakim has already gone into retirement.

Contacted, Supreme Court Spokesman Mohammad Saifur Rahman told The Daily Star  yesterday that Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain will now  assign another HC bench for hearing and disposing of the issue after receiving the relevant file of the case.

He,  however, could not say whether the case file has been sent to the chief  justice's office from the HC bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Md  Iqbal Kabir Lytton.

"Based  on experts' opinions and analysis of other information, it appears that  Dhaka north and south city corporations were partially negligent over  dengue epidemic in 2019, but they cannot be held fully responsible for  the outbreak.

Besides, nobody is solely responsible for the epidemic," the probe committee had said in the report.

In the report, the committee  said an integrated initiative is needed to prevent the spread of dengue,  chikungunya, and other mosquito-borne diseases.

In its recommendations, the committee said though it is the duty of city corporations to fight mosquito, it is not possible for them to do that alone. It will have to be done in a coordinated way.

Coordinated efforts will have to be taken by all service-providing organisations -- Rajuk, Dhaka Wasa, Bangladesh Police, Dhaka Cantonment Authority, Civil Aviation Authority, BRTA, Bangladesh Railway, Bangladesh Water Development Board, Directorate General of Health Services, Metro Rail Authority, Department of Environment, Bangladesh Meteorological Department, Rehab, house owner associations or welfare associations and others.

The probe committee also recommended taking up short-, mid- and long-term plans to fight mosquito.

The committee's other recommendations include forming a high level or  ministry level monitoring cell, examining effectiveness of insecticides  and carrying out two surveys every year.