The Hindu    28.08.2012

Four e-toilets opened

Staff Reporter

The Kollam City Corporation opened four e-toilets in the city on Monday. Two of them are at the Chinnakada bus bay, one at the collectorate complex and another at Shakthikulangara.

The project was inaugurated by P.K. Gurudasan, MLA, at Chinnakada.Mayor Prassana Earnest said that the e-toilets were installed at a cost of Rs.22 lakh.

One of the toilets at Chinnakada is for women. The unmanned toilets have automatic flush and cleaning systems in case the user fails to flush.

Entry into the toilet will be opened by inserting two Re.1 coins or a Rs.2 coin. As the door opens, the light and fan will be automatically switched on. The user is also provided with FM radio music. But no sitting there for a long period – if a user crosses 15 minutes, an alarm will go off.

The Hindu   28.08.2012

Councillors concerned over increasing cases of diseases

Cutting across party lines, councillors of Mangalore City Corporation in its meeting on Monday expressed concern over what they said “increasing cases” of malaria, dengue and other diseases in the city.

The councillors resolved to seek the Government to appoint Manjaiah Shetty, retired Health Officer at the corporation, as special malaria officer at the Malaria Cell at the civic body. Minister for Urban Development, Law, Justice and Human Rights S. Suresh Kumar, had at a press conference here on October 21, 2008 ordered the suspension of Mr. Shetty for failing to maintain cleanliness of the city. Mr. Shetty’s suspension was withdrawn later.

The Karnataka Information Commission through an order on September 5, 2011, had imposed penalty of Rs. 10,000 against Mr. Shetty. The commission had found him guilty of providing incomplete information about the stock inventory of drugs to B. Prakash Bhat, an applicant.

Raising the health issues at the council meeting on Monday, the former Mayor M. Shankar Bhat said that the corporation now did not have a permanent health officer after the retirement of Mr. Shetty. He said that many malaria, dengue and leptospirosis cases had been reported in the city. Beds in many hospitals were full.

Deepak Poojary alleged that the corporation had stopped fogging and spraying (against mosquito vectors) for controlling malaria. The former Mayor M. Shashidhar Hegde said that insecticides should be sprayed on stagnated water.

Replying to it, in-charge Health Officer C.M. Sudarshan said that spraying wouldn’t help as it was raining now. Commissioner Harish Kumar K. said that 62 multipurpose health workers had been visiting homes to create awareness on precautionary steps to be taken to control malaria. In addition, a non-governmental organisation, Nisarga, was creating awareness in schools. The corporation in cooperation with volunteers of National Service Scheme (NSS) would launch an awareness campaign on all 60 wards on a single day shortly.

He said the corporation had placed orders for 60 more containers for storing and transporting solid waste.The Commissioner said the civic body had cancelled licences of three builders for failing to take malaria control measures.

Many hotels had been inspected and fined. Hotel owners’ association has now its own health inspector to inspect and take corrective steps on cleanliness.