My sympathies towards the family of this student. However, there is nothing surprising about the spread of dengue, chicun gunia etc given the unsanitory conditions that has become "normal" in urban areas all over India. The civic authorities and politicians are largely to be blamed for the slum like conditions that prevail in all cities. Some of the blame should also be shared by the people, for not taking sanitation seriously in their own neighbourhood. Take a walk in any neighbourhood, and you will see garbage thrown around in every corner, in every abandoned plot; roads are in such pitiable condition with pot holes and uneven surfaces; where water collects and mosquitoes breed. We talk about all the 21st century technology and high tech stuff - but our drainage system, waste water treatment, sewage disposal are worse than civilizations like mohenjo-daro and harrapa in the BC era. Politicans have turned Municipal corporations into money making institutions. Crores of rupees earmarked for projects are embezzled. People too have no civic sense beyond keeping their own home clean. Will they atleast wake up now and realize that keeping the neighbourhood clean can save lives?
