“In the absence of door-to-door collection of garbage, the residents are left with no option but to throw waste on the roadside and the drain. Garbage is left unattended in three places, resulting in a foul smell emanating from the entire area. The  absence of garbage containers, which are supposed to be placed at strategic locations, makes things worse,” rues  Satya Murthy, the president of the Residents Association, which looks after the three parks, including a children's park, in the ward.

The garbage is only one of the many problems plaguing the ward. Residents of the area are forced to bear with the traffic problem on the main road. The road is always treacherous because of the heavy traffic flow and becomes a nightmare during peak hours. Trucks and buses speed on the narrow stretch, forcing two-wheelers and cars to make way and run the risk of being pushed into the roadside ditches.

“The main road has to be widened to facilitate smooth traffic. There are huge ditches on the road. Our misery increases when it rains and there is slush on the road. The association has urged the BBMP and other government agencies to expedite road widening,” says advocate Prasad.

Nagabhooshini, who works as a cook, says that there is a shortage of drinking water in her area. “There are issues such as stray dog and mosquito menace and lack of drainage and water. The officials at the helm of affairs and even the corporator do not seem to be bothered about addressing these issues,” complains Nagabhooshini, who lives in a slum. Murthy also vents his ire at the unscientific projects taken up by the authorities without understanding the needs of the people. “The Chief Minister has spent Rs 2 crore to develop the 80-feet road, constructing fancy benches on the footpaths. Its a complete waste of public money,” he says.

“People of this ward has many other problems. There is an 11-KV electric line passing through the park near Sandeepa Niketan School. Many high-rise buildings have come up in the surrounding area, against rules. We have submitted many memorandums seeking action to prevent tragedy, but the authorities have not done anything in this regard,” he adds.

Corporator Krishnamurthy says that he is aware of the problems but lack of funds have come in the way of the development of the ward. “There are plans to construct a swimming pool in Sanjaynagar and make it a 'green ward'. I expect to get more funds in the coming budget,” he says.

But the lack of experts, who could have otherwise averted its recurrence is a cause of concern, said Medical Entomologist, Syed Jawid.

Speaking to Express, Jawid, a visiting professor at the Jimma University, Ethiopia said, “Fogging and spraying pesticides is not enough. Though there are biologists in the health department, there is a lack of medical entomologists, who actually study the vector-borne diseases.”

According to a report published by Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (2003), there is global shortage of medical entomologist.

Sources at the BBMP health department also confirmed that though there was a vacancy for a medical entomologist, the post has been lying vacant. Dr Lokesh, Project Coordinator for vector-borne diseases, BBMP said, “We do not have a medical entomologist but we have a biologist and he takes care of all the research.”

However, Dr T S Chalvaraju, Joint Director for Communicable Diseases, Department of Health and Family Welfare said they have one entomologist at the state level, one at the regional level and one at the district level.”