'Pakistani Mohalla' refugees live in dread of chikungunya

Residents who live in what is called the 'Pakistani Mohalla' near Majnu ka Tila Gurudwara, continue to live in dread of chikungunya. These residents, who came from the other side of the border four years back, and are still waiting for Indian citizenship, say that so far no fumigation has been conducted here and no doctor has visited them.

The lack of government action had left many residents suffering from chikungunya, they estimate about 200, and they fear the same fate this year. "MCD workers came a few days back but they just asked us to dry our water coolers and left. No fumigation or further inspection has been done since," says Dayal Das, 42, who came here from Sind, Hyderabad in Pakistan and is a local 'pradhan' representing the community.

The South Delhi Corporation has launched a pilot project whereby about 200 dengue breeding checkers (DBCs) in select vulnerable regions have been armed with tablets to record data during an inspection of households and feed it to the central control room in real time. But nothing of this sort has happened so far at the 'Pakistani Mohalla' yet.

With no electricity in the refugee camp, even after three years, most of the kids and women in the area are forced to stay outdoors at all times, thus exposing themselves to disease.

"My one year old son had suffered from chikungunya last year and still walks with a twisted knee," said Meera Devi, a resident at the camp. "We visited Hindu Rao hospital earlier but we are just daily wagers and regular visits are not possible," she added.