Minister of Health Dinesh Gundu Rao, accompanied by local MLA Rizwan Arshad, participating in a dengue awareness campaign at Shivaji Nagar in Bengaluru in July 2024.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
With an unprecedented 25,408 dengue cases reported in the State this year, Karnataka has notified dengue fever, including severe forms of this vector borne disease, as an Epidemic Disease.
The State has amended regulations under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020. The Karnataka Epidemic Diseases (Amendment Regulations), 2024, was published in the official gazette last week.
What rules say
Under the amended rules, it is mandatory for every owner, occupier, builder or other person in-charge of any land or building, or any place, including water tanks, parks, playgrounds, to take necessary measures to prevent breeding of mosquitoes. This includes ensuring water storage containers, sumps, and overhead tanks are securely covered.
A Competent Authority — Chief Commissioner of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for the Jurisdiction of BBMP — and Deputy Commissioner for the jurisdiction of districts other than those covered by the BBMP — will be put in place. This authority has been empowered to implement remedial measures, inspect and levy penalties on violators.
According to the amended regulations: “The authority can inspect any land or building between sunrise and sunset after giving reasonable notice. The owner or occupier must facilitate the inspection and provide necessary information. If mosquito breeding is found, the authority can issue a notice requiring action within a specified time, not less than 24 hours, to eliminate the breeding ground using suitable methods (physical, chemical, or biological).
Penalties for non-compliance
Under the new regulations, the competent authority has the power to levy penalties ranging from ₹400 for households in urban areas and ₹200 in rural areas for non-compliance. For commercial establishments, offices, schools and colleges, and healthcare facilities, the State has fixed a penalty of ₹1,000 in urban and ₹500 in rural areas.
“For active or abandoned construction sites and vacant land, a penalty of ₹2,000 has been fixed in urban areas and ₹1,000 in rural areas. Fifty percent of the total fine amount will be levied additionally for each week of continued non-compliance after receiving a notice from the competent authority,” the order states.
