KARACHI, Nov 1: The City Council Karachi on Wednesday expressed concern over the growing number of dengue fever cases in the city, and stressed the need for making joint efforts to combat the virus effectively.

At the session, presided over by Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil, both the treasury and opposition benches shared the public anxiety over the situation.

Stressing an effective fumigation campaign across the city to eliminate the mosquito responsible for the menace, the members suggested that the drive be conducted through nazims of union councils to achieve the desired results.

Opposition members termed the fumigation campaign ‘selective’, and many of them insisted that they did not witness any fumigation activity in their areas. They rejected the claim by EDO (health) that fumigation in every locality was being carried out twice or thrice a day.

However, the treasury members lauded the city government’s measures, including the fumigation campaign, towards controlling the spread of the viral haemorrhagic fever. They urged the opposition not to resort to criticism for the sake criticism, saying that they were ready to accommodate any positive suggestions if made by the opposition.

The presiding officer intervened when hot words were exchanged between the two sides, and asked the opposition to identify the areas where fumigation could not be carried out as yet.

Initiating the debate, treasury member Abdul Jalil recounted the measures taken by the city government to combat the virus, and maintained that it was not correct to say that no fumigation campaign had been launched since the monsoon rains.

He argued that it was the timely measures by the city government that prevented an outbreak of any serious viral disease. Mr Jalil urged the opposition to do away with its negative approach.

He pointed out that a schedule for fumigation had been provided to every town nazim while each of the 18 towns had been provided with three machines for the purpose. Regarding aerial spray, he admitted that the Civil Aviation Authority had allowed the city government to conduct the same, but it could not be carried out due to some technical and other reasons.

The treasury member rejected the claim that the federal, provincial and city governments had not taken the issue seriously and that the fumigation campaign had not been launched timely. In this regard, Mr Jalil recalled that the matter had been discussed by Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Chief Minister Dr Arbab Rahim at a meeting following which directives had been issued for effective measures for the prevention and control of the virus.

On a point of order, Rafiq Ahmed of the Al-Khidmat Group drew the chair’s attention to the city government’s act of not providing the opposition members a specific data concerning the schedule of fumigation drive and the areas to be covered.

Later, while the session was being chaired by Senior Presiding Officer Masood Mehmood in the absence of Nasreen Jalil, the members representing UCs in Lyari ,Gadap, Bin Qasim and Gadap towns informed the house that no fumigation had been carried out in their areas.

Women councillors Rukhsana Faisal and Mehrunnisa Baloch criticised the treasury side of its indifferent attitude towards the people’s sufferings, and complained that even positive suggestions put forward by the opposition were not getting any serious thought. Nazim of UC Gulshan-i-Hadeed, Bin Qasim Town, criticised the town nazim for his non-cooperative attitude and demanded that UC nazims be empowered to carry out fumigation in their respective areas.

The other members who took part in the debate included Saeed Ghani, Rafiq Ahmed, Sheikh Mehboob, Ramzan Awan, Shahjahan Baloch and Rafiq Baloch from the opposition, and Asif Siddique, Imran Ahmed Khan and Thavar Ali Gohar from the treasury side.

Before winding up the debate, the chair called for a conciliatory approach towards the issue by adopting a unanimous resolution. The house was later adjourned for the day to meet again on Thursday.

PRESS CONFERENCE: After the day’s proceedings, UC nazims belonging to the Haq Parast Group held a news conference which was addressed by Abdul Jalil and the nazim of UC-3 Shah Faisal Town.