Urban News

Last week, Patil had driven top BMC officials around the city in his Honda City to show them potholes. On Thursday, he said, “When you are aiming to be a Shanghai-like city, it is not enough just to talk of flyovers and roads. Local basic facilities should also be created. We need to create basic facilities like health.”

Patil, Minister for Rural Development and NCP MLA from Islampur, Sangli, agreed that measures adopted by the BMC has helped arrest the spread of malaria in August, but dismissed allegations by the MNS and the Shiv Sena, which rules the BMC, that migrant labourers were behind the spread.

“The numbers have reduced in August and we will have to monitor the situation over next four-five days. What I have been told is that the high rainfall led to waterlogging, which also led to a spurt in malaria cases. In some cases, it can be seen the measures were not enough,” Patil said, but conceded the BMC is now taking “enough measures” to tackle the situation since it has concentrated its efforts in the seven wards that have reported the highest number cases since July.

Patil said it isn’t proper to blame migrant labourers alone for the spread of malaria. “I had said labourers visit the city for some time and they should be monitored. We need to make sure migrants are checked so that they do not bring malaria to the city,” he said.

The government has also introduced fortnightly health checks on such labourers.