Resume Best Practices Followed During Last TD Term: CM Tells Officials

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has directed the officials to give high priority to safe drinking water and cleanliness. He was participating in a review on seasonal diseases, held at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav and officials of municipal and panchayat raj and health departments attended the review meeting.

Naidu said the authorities should take action to tackle seasonal diseases from the very beginning. If they delayed action, they would not get the full results. Officials must re-implement all the best practices followed during the last TD term in the respective departments.

The officials briefed the CM on the measures they have taken to prevent seasonal diseases. Currently, they are trying to control the spread of malaria and dengue and a special focus is on high-risk cases. “The rapid tests for dengue and chicken pox are available in government hospitals. So far this season, 60 cases of diarrhoea have been reported in the state.”

They said that currently there were 35 active cases of diarrhoea in six villages. Nine persons died of diarrhoea this season and all of them faced this fate after drinking contaminated water.

The Chief Minister said the lack of sanitation and lack of steps to prevent mosquitoes in the villages and towns worsened the scenario. Appropriate preventive steps should be taken and officials must give high priority to ensure provisions for safe drinking water and cleanliness.

Naidu suggested that the health department should pay more attention to the number of people affected by seasonal diseases, especially in the tribal areas.

“The systems have become weak everywhere. Drinking water tests are not being conducted. Cleaning and chlorination of overhead tanks were done regularly in villages during the previous term of the Telugu Desam government. Those best practices should now be continued,” he said.

Re-implement all the best practices followed during the Telugu Desam government from 2014 to 2019 in various sectors, he told the officials.

Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Ponguru Narayana said that due to non-payment of `14 lakh to the water quality checking lab, the services were stopped during the previous government’s term. The dues have now been paid and the services restored, he said.

Naidu said most seasonal diseases could be tackled if sanitation works were undertaken, continuous fogging is done and provision of safe drinking water made.