MP High Court Pulls Up Govt, Jabalpur Civic Body Over Disease Outbreak

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Taking serious note of worsening sanitation conditions in Jabalpur and a recent dengue-related death, the Madhya Pradesh High Court's principal bench in Jabalpur has directed the state government and local municipal corporations to submit a detailed status report within four weeks. The directive came on Monday during a hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) highlighting the city’s deteriorating public health conditions.

The matter gained urgency after Dr Gopal Pal, a city-based doctor, died of dengue on Doctors' Day, underscoring the growing threat of vector-borne diseases in the region.

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The PIL, which has been pending since 2018, alleges that every fourth person in Jabalpur is suffering from diseases like swine flu, chikungunya, malaria, dengue, and even the Zika virus, due to unhygienic conditions across the city. The petition claims that Jabalpur is effectively “sitting over a heap of garbage,” creating an environment ripe for disease outbreaks.

Senior advocate Aditya Sanghi, representing the petitioner, argued that the city’s entire sewage system remains blocked, and that this has worsened the crisis during the ongoing monsoon. Despite a sewage overhaul plan being proposed 17 years ago, it has yet to be implemented, leading to repeated outbreaks and deteriorating living conditions for residents.

The court has asked authorities to present a comprehensive status update on sanitation and hygiene measures currently in place or being planned to tackle the situation.