Bengaluru’s anti-dengue drive delivers results; Cases drop by 50 percent: Report
Bengaluru: Preventive measures in Bengaluru seem to be yielding positive results, with the city reporting less than half the dengue cases so far this year compared to the same period in 2024.
According to data from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) health division, as cited by Deccan Herald on Friday, the city recorded 824 dengue cases between January 1 and June 4, representing 48.1% of the 1,712 cases reported in the same period in 2024. A significant drop is evident, with May 2024 seeing 782 cases alone, while this May saw 299. Additionally, 70 cases have been confirmed in the first four days of June.
The Mahadevapura and East zones have been the hardest hit, registering 301 and 150 cases, respectively. Last year, these two zones together accounted for 861 cases by the end of May. Officials reportedly attribute the high number of cases in these areas to the concentration of ongoing construction activities, where building and roadwork continue throughout the season. Dengue cases in Bengaluru traditionally surge between May and August.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao recently highlighted that nearly half of the state's dengue cases are being reported from Bengaluru. In response, 240 health inspectors and 700 volunteers have been deployed to combat the outbreak.
“Mosquito breeding control measures are ongoing, but we must not lower our guard. Households must avoid water stagnation and alert authorities to to any construction sites flouting norms,” DH quoted Suralkar Vikas Kishor, Special Commissioner (Health), BBMP, as saying.
In a bid to enforce compliance, the BBMP has issued 3,583 notices to builders and construction managers, collecting fines totaling Rs 37.9 lakh. In the past week alone, 93 notices were served, generating Rs 1.09 lakh in fines. Mahadevapura Zone was found to have the highest number of violations.
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Conspiracy afoot to 'tarnish' image of Dharmasthala: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said there was a “conspiracy” to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala.
His comments come amid an ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into serious allegations of mass burials in the revered temple town in Dakshina Kannada district.
“A conspiracy is being hatched to destroy hundreds of years of legacy. It is not correct to tarnish someone just like that. It has all happened due to one complainant,” he said.
Noting that some Congress MLAs have called for action against those involved in the slander campaign at the legislature party meeting, he said, “ I have told them that action must be taken against those who are indulging in a slander campaign. The CM has also said that action must be taken against such people.”
“I have information on this case. Religious feelings should not be hurt in any manner. Culprits must be punished,” he told reporters, according to a release from his office.
Responding to a question, Shivakumar said the Congress party will not allow the image of any religious place to be tarnished.
“We see everyone equally when it comes to religion,” he added.
The SIT, formed by the state government, is probing claims of mass murder, rape, and mass burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.
The complainant, a former sanitation worker whose identity has not been revealed, alleged that between 1995 and 2014 he was forced to handle bodies—including women and minors—and that some showed signs of sexual assault. He has given a statement before a magistrate.
As part of the probe, the SIT has been conducting exhumations at multiple locations identified by the complainant-witness in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where some skeletal remains have been found at two sites so far.
