The Hindu 16.07.2013
Corporation to get sprayers today
The City Corporation will receive the first batch of
150 sprayers for mosquito eradication on Tuesday, almost a
month-and-a-half after the onset of monsoon.
Officials
with the Health wing of the civic body said the unprecedented delay on
the part of Kerala Agro Industries Corporation Ltd in finalising the
terms of the supply agreement with the Corporation had affected the ‘Bye
Bye’ mosquito programme. Kudumbasree workers will be given the
equipment to carry out door-to-door source elimination programme.
So
far, Health workers with the civic body only carried out fogging in
public areas of wards where dengue was diagnosed. Residents had
complained that this was inadequate to tackle the menace and hence three
Kudumbashree workers were appointed in each ward to carry out a
campaign to destroy possible vector breeding sites. Funds were set aside
for the ‘Bye Bye’ mosquito programme in the budget.
Though
staff members were appointed in at least 40 wards, the scheme failed to
take off owing to lack of such equipment. An order had been placed for
300 sprayers. A date will be set for the launch of the programme when
workers will fan out across 40 wards and carry out eradication in each
house at a nominal fee of Rs. 5.