HC asks Delhi to ensure proper utilization of dengue funds

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the city government to ensure that grant-in-aid released to civic bodies was utilized properly to control the dengue menace.

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath also asked the government to cooperate with all departments and ensure that malaria and dengue control programmes were implemented properly.

The court's order came after a PIL was filed by Congress leader Ajay Maken, who accused the Aam Aadmi Party government and municipal corporations of not being adequately prepared to control dengue.

Maken, through advocates Aman Panwar and Mudit Gupta, told the court that the government allocated Rs.81.52 crore towards malaria and dengue control programmes but released 50 percent funds to municipal corporations on September 22, a day after the court's intervention. 

The government, however, informed the court that Rs.60 crore was released to the three municipal corporations for sanitation programmes to deal with the dengue outbreak.

The first installment of grant-in-aid amounting to 25 percent of the total funds was allocated to the three corporations on September 17, said government counsel Rahul Mehra. The second installment of 50 percent was released on September 22, he said.