Jamia Nagar scare grows bigger & bigger

Tears well up in Anees-ur-Rahman’s eyes as he remembers that his daughter was supposed to appear for her job interview on Tuesday. A resident of Jamia Nagar, Shabana (26), succumbed to dengue last week. The family’s ordeal is still not over. Now Rahman’s two sons have been diagnosed with the dreaded disease.
Due to rampant construction, most of it unauthorized, lack of fogging and rains, Jamia Nagar is in middle of a dengue epidemic. Though civic body officials would not comment, residents say there are dengue patients in virtually every household.
"My daughter had recently cleared her B Tech exams from Jamia Millia Islamia. She was supposed to appear for final interview for a teaching job at a Faridabad polytechnic on Tuesday," said Rehman. "Even her two younger brothers are down with dengue. The condition of Shahzad (24) is stable but Arif (18) is quite serious."
Phool Mohammad, who lives near Batla House, said his wife succumbed to the disease last week. She was 37 years old.
Though it houses more than six lakh people, Jamia Nagar has no government-run hospital. People mostly depend on local clinics and 300-bed Holy Family Hospital for treatment. MCD has only five fogging machines in this locality.
"Most of the patients who suffer fever go to local doctors who give them symptomatic treatment. This has aggravated the problem. At least 10 people have died due to dengue," said a resident.
Though MCD remained in denial about dengue in the area, director of Holy Family Hospital, Father Arthur Pinto, said more than 500 dengue patients have been treated at the hospital since June. "On Tuesday, there are more than 60 patients undergoing treatment at the hospital," he said.
The Delhi government deployed eight mobile health clinics and ambulances in the area on Tuesday to carry dengue patients to other hospitals. Meanwhile, at Delhi assembly, area MLA Asif Mohammad Khan raised the issue, leading to much uproar. Finally, marshals had to be called in and the MLA was removed forcefully from the house.