OUR CORRESPONDENT
MANGALDAI: In the Darrang district, where vector-borne diseases like Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) have claimed numerous lives, the office of vector-borne disease control has been in disarray for nearly four months due to the non-functional District Malaria Officer (DMO) position. The vacancy persists because the terminated DMO, Shyam Prasad Baruah, has repeatedly failed to comply with government orders to hand over charges, including financial responsibilities, to the designated authority despite multiple directives.
The Joint Director of Health Services (JDHS), Darrang, in a letter dated July 3 to the District Commissioner, noted that Baruah, who had served as DMO since 2012 under regulation 3 (f), was terminated on April 3 by the Director of Health Services, Assam, along with eight other DMOs. Despite instructions to relinquish his duties, Baruah has not complied, irregularly attending the office and disrupting administrative functions, which violates official orders.
On July 16, the JDHS issued another directive to Baruah to surrender all accounts, files, government properties, and correspondence reports. Concurrently, Dr Dili Ram Adhikari, CM&HO (CD), Darrang, was assigned additional DMO duties to ensure the smooth operation of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) until a new DMO is appointed. Baruah reportedly ignored this directive as well.
The JDHS recently discussed the issue with the District Commissioner, highlighting the adverse impact on community services during the peak season for vector-borne diseases. Notably, a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on March 10 terminated the services of nine DMOs, including Baruah, along with 35 dental surgeons and two drug inspectors, halting further extensions of their tenure.
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