The Madras High Court on Friday directed the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in New Delhi to spell out the details of research that had been carried out so far with respect to treatment of dengue and containing the rate of fatality due to the disease.
Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy issued the direction on a public interest litigation petition filed by advocate A.P. Suryaprakasam in September last, seeking a direction to the Greater Chennai Corporation to control the rapid spread of dengue fever in the city. Just months after the case was filed, reports of COVID-19 began trickling in and so the advocate moved a sub-application urging the court to issue a comprehensive direction to the government for dealing with the pandemic. However, the court refused to digress from the main petition.
As far as dengue was concerned, the lawyer complained that the mosquitoes breed mostly in water that collected on roads and in motor vehicles that lie abandoned on roadsides and other public places.
He underscored the need to clear all such abandoned vehicles. But the corporation said removal of abandoned vehicles would fall under the jurisdiction of the traffic police.
The court asked the civic body to ensure fogging was done at all places, besides seeking police help to clear abandoned vehicles.
