Make it Work Now
It is perhaps a very helpful move. This placing of the entire field staff of the mosquito control directorate at the disposal of the Dhaka City Corporation. The DCC, or precisely Mayor Hanif, as soon as he was returned to his present office, pledged to free his dear city from the menace of mosquito. The citizens of Dhaka know best how he fared with his pledge. It now comes to light that the approach was flawed at the very start - the DCC had no control over the mosquito campaign field-workers. Now why should this obstacle be discovered in the third year of Hanif's mayoralty? Disgraceful is the performance of his men. There is a directorate to fight and eliminate mosquito. It has been there for long. It works for the whole nation, doesn't it? If its entire staff is placed under the DCC who will cover the void? Or is it that the directorate never went beyond minding this city's mosquito problem, there being no nation outside of Dhaka? While it can be expected that the move will help DCC's efforts to eliminate mosquito become more effective than before, what will happen to the directorate?
There is indeed no need to weep over a directorate's demise if that doesn't have any use for the society any more. Mosquito is no doubt a national problem. But like most other national problems, the governments can fight these best in the urban settlements where they come in concentrations ideal for engagement. A mere directorate less than 500-strong cannot be expected to fight mosquito all over the country - roughly at the rate of one personnel for a thana. But if the directorate goes who will fight mosquito in the towns and cities other than Dhaka?
We hope the work in Dhaka will at last pick up. It is also important that between them the DCC and government must clearly understand the new arrangement they are making and brief the nation on it.
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