Shawdesh DesK:

The government on Saturday cancelled the Eid holiday and weekly holidays of the officials of Dhaka north and south city corporations until further notice.

In a circular, local government ministry said the move was aimed at successfully carrying out anti-mosquito drives.

The order took immediate effect and it will remain in place until further notice.

Dhaka, the overcrowded Bangladeshi capital, is at the centre of dengue outbreak. The situation has worsened this year with hundreds of cases being reported every day.

In 24 hours till Friday morning, 1,687 new dengue patients were hospitalised.

Official data showed that 21,235 people were hospitalised with dengue since January 1. Of them, 18,842 patients were admitted to hospitals since July 2.

Currently, 6,582 patients, including children, are undergoing treatment at hospitals. Although the government says 14 dengue patients have so far died, unofficial estimates suggest the death toll is higher.