The Hindu 05.04.2010
Plan to contain rodent menace
Staff Reporter
CHENNAI: The Chennai Corporation will soon float tenders inviting bids from firms providing measures to contain rodent menace in the city.
The move follows complaints from residents of several areas, in particular those of north Chennai. S.Annadurai, a resident of Ayanavaram, said that in the last one month he had caught about 10 rats in his house.
“Ours is an apartment complex with 300 houses and all the residents face the problem.”
Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said that the civic body was working out the modalities of the project. “We are in discussion with the Tamil Nadu Warehousing Corporation as it has such a programme. A couple of MNCs have evinced interest in the project. These are part of our efforts to improve public health. The number of leptospirosis cases can be brought down,” he added.
The rodent menace has forced the Corporation to construct only concrete stormwater drains. “The rats gnaw away at bricks, which were used in earlier constructions. They also eat through PVC pipes carrying sewage,” said an official of the civic body.
In the last one month, the civic body closed down 25 cattle sheds along the Cooum and another 23 would be shut down soon. To control mosquitoes 3 new kinds of traps will be bought at Rs.55,000 each, to be kept at parks.
