Employees work without electricity at the Sakchi office last week. (Bhola Prasad)

The filaria eradication programme has been ‘switched off’ in East Singhbhum, thanks to no power.

The district filaria control unit in Sakchi has been doing without electricity for over 14 days with Tata Steel subsidiary Jusco stopping supply because of pending dues to the tune of Rs 1.10 lakh.

As a result, tests at laboratories and other official work have come to a standstill. Sunlight coming in through the windows is the only source of illumination for the otherwise dim rooms occupied by nine employees — two clerks, one lab technician, five insect collectors and a peon, who are being forced to work without fans in this sweltering heat.

“Hamein apne discomfort ki chinta nahin hai. Kabhi kabhi pasina official kagazo par gir jata hai jisse likhne mein pareshani hoti hai. Par hamein bura lagta hai jab power se chalne wala lab testing ruk jata hai (We are not bothered about our discomfort though it’s difficult to write on official documents at times when we are profusely perspiring and the papers get wet. But what we are concerned about is that lab testing work has completely stopped),” rued a clerk.

The district filaria control unit has deputed over 30 field workers to collect blood samples (on slides) from different parts of the city falling under Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee, Mango Notified Area Committee and Jugsalai municipality. These samples are then tested with compound microscopes by the technician to confirm the presence of filaria parasites.

“It is impossible to carry out tests of blood sample in the dark. We are still preserving the samples with the hope that Jusco will restore connection at the earliest,” said another clerk.

Work of insect collectors has been also affected, as they cannot conduct dissection to confirm identity of different types of Culex female mosquitoes that cause the disease.

East Singhbhum civil surgeon Jagat Bhusan Prasad said they had written to Jusco for restoring connection. “I have written to the utility service provider, promising to clear the dues as soon as the largesse comes from the state health department. We are expecting fresh allotment of funds by April-end or first week of May. However, we are yet to get any response from them,” said Bhushan.

Jusco spokesperson Rajesh Rajan said: “We will restore connection as soon as we get at least half the pending dues and the current bills are cleared.”

East Singhbhum, where 250 people are currently being treated under the filaria programme, registers at least six cases every day. Once, the disease has reached epidemic proportions in Bagbera on the city’s outskirts. More than 100 cases were reported from the locality in 2007.