Efforts to control dengue: court asks health secy, DCO to submit report by September 23

The Chief Justice Lahore High Court Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry on Friday directed the Health Secretary Punjab and the District Co-ordination Officer (DCO) Lahore to submit a comprehensive report on dengue outbreak, efforts to control it and insecticide used in fumigation drive.
The court observed that the reports should contain the details as where the spray was carried out and what quality of liquid was used and what effects it yielded and why negligence was exercised about spray to eradicated dengue virus. The court also called for a report from the respondents asking whether government has taken action against those who were found negligent in controlling spread of dengue virus. The chief justice said it would not spare people who were responsible for not controlling the diseases. The court hearing the petition of a bar member Noshab A Khan remarked that the dengue has become a matter of life and death and the court is under the constitutional obligation to protect rights of the citizens.
Secretary Jahanzeb Khan and the DCO Ahmad Cheema, who were present in the courtroom following court directions, were asked to do the needful by September 23 and adjourned the hearing. During the course of proceedings, the chief justice said the authorities appeared to have committed a criminal negligence by not taken steps to control the dengue virus as media voiced that a spray would have been carried out in the month of February. He also invited attention to the media reports on the use of substandard liquid and chemical in the spray to kill dengue virus and mosquitoes.
He said a highly criminal negligence has been committed to control dengue as cases need to be registered against the responsible ones for the death caused by dengue fever. The court asked Siddique that he may file a separate petition on his point of view. Deputy Attorney General Ziaul Qamar Bhatti told the court that the federal government was not involved in any way in the spread of dengue.
The issue was purely related to the province. The officials prayed to the court for 15 days time to file a comprehensive report but the court said it could not give that much time given the seriousness of the situation and asked the officers to do the needful by September 23.