Local Government and Rural Development Minister Tajul Islam on Wednesday said that works at under-construction establishments will have to be obstructed once the presence of larvae of Aedes mosquitos is found there for a third time.

He issued the warnings while talking to journalists after an inter-ministerial meeting on assessment of the actions taken to check the dengue menace and other mosquito-borne diseases at the Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka on Wednesday.

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“The works at the under-construction buildings will have to be halted if the larvae of the Aedes mosquitoes is found there despite repeated warnings,” the minister said.

He said city corporations will clean the larvae once found at the under-construction structures for the first time, fine once found the second time and finally halt the work if found for the third time.

The LGRD minister said he directed the opening of the dedicated hospital under Dhaka North City Corporation to accommodate 800 to 900 dengue patients to ensure healthcare. The dengue has so far claimed 127 lives and of them 80 was in this month.

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Asked whether the government has failed in curbing the dengue, he claimed that Bangladesh’s condition is better than Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and India. The number of mosquitos increased in the sub-continent in July.

He said Bangladesh has so far recorded 24, 000 dengue cases while Malaysia in June counted 46, 000 cases.

Urging all to remain vigilant about the menace of the dengue, he stressed the need for spraying insecticides at the tyres and tubes of the seized vehicles and keeping school yards neat and clean.

Replying to a question, LGRD Minister Tajul said the country demands no conditions to declare a ‘national disaster’ now.

Read more: Dengue death toll rises to 127 with record 13 deaths in 24 hours