• A 10-year-old resident of Lake Road spent her Puja vacation battling dengue in hospital.
• A 14-year-old and the caretaker of his building in Lake Terrace were both stung by dengue.
• A garbage dump lies uncleared in front of Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratisthan on Sarat Bose Road.
• Potted plants line the balconies of most houses on Lake Road, inviting mosquitoes.
Lake Road: Neighbourhoods around Deshapriya Park have seen a spurt in dengue cases this season.
Eight houses within a 2km radius covering Lake View Road, Lake Terrace, Lake Road and a portion of Sarat Bose Road have had at least one person with dengue recently.
Many residents blame the outbreak on the garbage that piled up during the festive season. Others complain about terrace gardens being breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
A walk down Lake Road presents a green sight with potted plants in almost every house and bird feeders and water bowls in some. "Plant pots and water bowls are an invitation to mosquitoes. We too have plants on our terrace," said advertising professional Anirban Haldar.
The Haldar house was fumigated by the civic body after his 10-year-old daughter developed fever on Sashthi and had to be admitted to hospital. But the terrace and plants remain as also the still water.
There is a dengue patient in the building next door and many more in the area. A local doctor said he has been seeing around 10 patients with fever and joint pain every day.
Another 10-year-old in the area had been down with fever on Mahalaya. "We admitted her to a hospital and tests revealed dengue," said mother Anindita Sarkar.
Lake Terrace resident Sriparna Mitra's 14-year-old son was one of the first in the area to be afflicted with dengue this season. "Now my watchman has it too," Mitra said.
A construction site nearby with a temporary well has Munmun Mukhopadhyay worried. "Last year there were two dengue cases at home. We are living in dread this year too," she said. So are residents of Sarat Bose Road and Motilal Nehru Road who say the area has become filthier since Puja.
Baisnar Chattopadhyay, the chairperson of Borough committee VIII of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, however, said the situation has improved this year.
