Jaundice reaches Odisha capital: 80 cops afflicted

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Feb 19:

While jaundice has triggered panic in Sambalpur and Cuttack cities, the deadly water borne virus has gripped the Odisha capital where 80 policemen have been afflicted by it, sources said.

Of the 80 afflicted policemen of the Reserve Police Barrack, 25 of them perform duty at various traffic posts while the remaining policemen are posted at different police stations and outposts in the city.

While the commissionerate police have said that all the 80 ailing policemen have gone on leave, reliable sources, however, said some of them are presently undergoing treatment at the hospitals in the city while some others are under treatment in other hospitals outside the city.

However, the commissionerate police have refused to give the exact number of policemen afflicted by the disease.

The mass leave of the ailing policemen have created problems for the commissionerate police in handling the city traffic and other duties at the police stations and outposts.

According to available information, nearly 600 jawans are presently staying at the Reserve Police Barrack. Besides, 1500 members of the officers, havaldars and constables are also staying in separate quarters inside its premises.

To meet the drinking water requirement, there are over 50 overhead water tanks in these quarters and more than 15 sumps inside the barrack.

It is suspected that the policemen have been afflicted by the disease by using the water from these water tanks and sumps which have not been cleaned for several days.

Meanwhile, the Public Health department has begun cleaning of these overhead water tanks and sumps in the barrack, reports said.