Bhubaneswar, Oct 17: A senior bureaucrat Nrupataj Sahu, Deputy Secretary of Panhayat Raj department has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) by the State government on Sunday to monitor and keep a check on measures taken to deal with the spread of Japanese Encephalitis in Malkangiri district.
To bring the menace spread by the vector borne disease under control and for better coordination between departments, the senior official will be staying in Malkangiri for two months.
At least 56 children have died due to the disease till now in the district in a span of just five weeks.
Besides, the Opposition BJP also lashed out at the government on Sunday for its incapability in handling the situation claiming that the vector borne disease has taken more than 150 lives.
Bhrugu Buxipatra, Odisha BJP General Secretary said that around 99 villages of six blocks in Malkangiri have been affected by Japanese Encephalitis that has killed 150 children in which nine have died in last few days. He added that the state government has distributed only 11,000 untreated insecticide-treated mosquito nets till now instead of the promised 30 lakh insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
