- By Kamal Kumar
- Tue, 03 Sep 2024 05:37 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Karnataka Dengue News: Marred with the biggest Dengue outbreak in a decade, Karnataka on Tuesday declared the mosquito-borne disease an epidemic. It also declared that houses, shops and other commercial establishments would be fined if they failed to follow the guidelines set up to curtail the mosquito breeding sites.
This comes as the state witnesses a steep rise in the number of Dengue infections, with the yearly number crossing 24,500 till August. This is 5,000 higher than the total number of cases detected in the whole of 2023. Although the number of deaths was not very high, the government decided to act before the fatalities started to rise.
Karnataka government on Tuesday said that it has notified the dengue fever (and its several types) as an epidemic disease in the state under the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020, NDTV reported.
"It shall be the duty of every owner, occupier, builder or other person in charge of any land or building or any place including water tanks, parks, play-ground to take necessary measures to prevent breeding of mosquitoes therein," the statement further stated.
The rules grant Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the Bengaluru civic body and the district commissioners of all the districts to enter any house, commercial establishment or construction site to check if the anti-dengue rules are being followed or not.
The rules stipulate fines ranging from Rs 400 to 2,000 for flouting the dengue guidelines. Homeowners in rural areas can be fined Rs 200 if stagnant water is found in flower pots, buckets or any other area on the compound. The fine is Rs 400 for the urban houses.
Commercial establishments—including offices, educational institutions, hotels, resorts, shops, malls, cinema halls, puncture repair shops, and plant nurseries—will be fined Rs 1,000 in urban areas and Rs 500 in rural areas.