Mosquitoes don’t spare bureaucrats too

Maharashtra government’s top officials have now come under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) health department’s scanner, after the department found mosquito larvae in the Yashodhan building opposite Mantralaya at Nariman Point. This building houses some of the top IAS officials serving in key positions in the state.

The BMC’s health department conducted the inspection on Monday, upon the request of one of the residents of the building.

Assistant municipal commissioner of the A ward, Kiran Dighavkar said, “An IAS official approached me and asked us to conduct an inspection drive along with practical demonstration of how to maintain cleanliness in the surrounding areas to prevent mosquito breeding.”

Following this, it found at least five mosquito breeding spots in the housing colony, as well as the houses of some of the officials. However, the BMC refused to disclose the names of the officials whose houses were inflicted with the larvae. Padmaja Keskar, BMC’s health officer said the civic body would now just send a cursory letter to the housing society directing it to comply with the norms of maintaining cleanliness.

Rajan Naringrekar, BMC’s insecticide officer said, “We have told all PWD workers what is to be done in such a case, and what precautionary measures can be taken. We have also directed them to undertake cleanliness drives every week.”

Meanwhile, in a bid to spread awareness about the issue, municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta has directed all the 24 ward officers of the civic body to host exhibitions on their office premises to create awareness about the spread of dengue and malaria in the city. The civic variations committee on Monday passed proposals top hire 275 people from NGOs, to help the BMC create awareness. Currently, 614 people are already employed by the BMC in all its wards.

The BMC has devised a budget of Rs 2.85 crore to hire the additional 275 people, working with non-governmental organisations. They will be hired on a contractual basis from November. Meanwhile, the BMC has also set aside an additional budget of Rs 29 lakh, for fumigation of all areas in the seven zones of Mumbai.