The health department, acting on the directive of East Singhbhum deputy commissioner, has for the first time given a 24-hour notice to Tatanagar railway officials to submit their vector control action plan or face legal action.

This unprecedented order is not without reason. East Singhbhum DC Ravi Shankar Shukla had noticed the perennial waterlogging on the stretch linking Jugsalai with Tatanagar station, close to the station area, as a potential vector-breeding point, and spoken out against it. The issue was highlighted by The Telegraph on September 12 (Dengue threat near station).

District malaria officer Dr A.K. Lal, also the district national vector-borne diseases control programme officer, on Wednesday directed chief health inspector of Tatanagar railway Srimanta Datta to submit an action plan within 24 hours to control vector-borne diseases in areas under their ambit, failing which legal action would be taken against railway authorities.

“I asked the district malaria officer to take up the issue with railway officials (know their dengue action plan within 24 hours). If the report is unsatisfactory, going by the directive of DC Shukla, we will be forced to file a complaint against railway authorities with the police for causing health risk to people,” said East Singhbhum civil surgeon Dr Maheshwar Prasad.

This year, the district has witnessed a dengue outbreak with the number of patients reaching 258 till date. There has been no casualty yet.

There were 556 cases of dengue in 2017 in Jamshedpur and its outskirts with four deaths, which was reduced to 69 dengue cases and two deaths in 2018 after a massive awareness campaign and surveillance.

Dr Lal said the dengue threat due to waterlogging on a large stretch of the road near the station was serious one.

“I have asked the railway officials to inform within 24 hours a detailed action plan with thermal fogging and larvicides spraying schedule and the areas covered so far with pictorial documentation. Railway officials have been asked to explain measures undertaken to remove waterlogging in their residential areas (Railway Colony) and on the stretch of the road near Tatanagar station,” he said.

The railway action plan needs also include specific information on garbage collection and disposal mechanisms in railway areas and the colony, the official said.

Railway official Srimanta Datta claimed that they had been regularly carrying out activities such as fogging,larvicide and bleaching powder spraying at Railway Colony.

He claimed that the waterlogging on the road near the station was due to an engineering fault. “It will be addressed by the engineering wing, but we and Jugsalai Municipality have been spraying larvicides in that area regularly,” said Datta.

On Thursday, National Service Scheme will bring out an awareness rally on dengue from ABM College in Golmuri.