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Public Health / Sanitation

Intensive drive to combat mosquito menace continues

Tuesday, 23 February 2010 02:48 administrator
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The Hindu 23.02.2010

Intensive drive to combat mosquito menace continues

Staff Reporter

Pamphlets distributed in 20 wards to create awareness

— Photo : T. Singaravelou

Work apace: Staff of the Oulgaret Municipality carrying out fogging operations in the municipal limits in Puducherry on Monday.

PUDUCHERRY: After a week-long intensive anti-mosquito drive, local bodies in Puducherry are continuing the mosquito control measures through fogging and spraying work.

The departments of Local Administration, Public Works and Health had launched the drive recently to reduce sources of mosquito-breeding. This was after several areas reeled under increasing mosquito density.

Commissioner of the Puducherry Municipality D. Asokan said that spraying of larvicide in drains had been taken up in all 42 wards of the local body. “We have completed one round of spraying larvicide in the wards. We are planning to take up another round soon, probably next week,” he said.

“L” and “U” drains have been cleared to ensure free flow of drain water so that there is no stagnation. Fogging operations had been completed in 11 wards, he added.

“Fogging works are still going on in several wards,” he noted.

With the help of the Health Department, the municipality had distributed pamphlets to households in about 20 wards to create awareness on preventing water stagnation in and around houses, he stated.

Oulgaret Municipality

Anti-mosquito operations are continuing in full swing in areas within Oulgaret Municipality limits. Following complaints from residents in many areas, larvicide operations have been continuing since last week’s anti-mosquito drive.

A municipal official said that fogging was being carried out systematically, and larvicide operations by means of hand spray were also being done in drains, and in all interior areas as well.

Of the 37 wards within the municipality, the operations are being carried out area wise.

Most areas have been covered already. As for the desilting of ‘U’ shaped drains and ‘L’ shaped drains, it is a continuing initiative.

With drains being cleared whenever necessary, all drains would eventually be covered, he added.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 02:49
 

Massive operation to clean up Pongala festival zone

Tuesday, 23 February 2010 02:40 administrator
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The Hindu 23.02.2010

Massive operation to clean up Pongala festival zone

Special Correspondent

City Corporation is deploying 1,650 temporary hands

 

80 health inspectors to supervise the work

Health squads to inspect food materials

Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

With prayers: Children who came for the ‘kuthiyottam’ ritual at the Attukal Bhagavathy temple as part of the Pongala festival on Monday. –

Thiruvananthapuram: The City Corporation is deploying 1,650 temporary hands to clean up roads and public places during the Attukal Pongala festival.

While 650 workers have already been deployed in 22 wards coming under the festival zone, 1,000 more are to be engaged on Sunday evening after the Pongala. “We expect the entire festival zone to be cleaned up by 11 p.m. in a massive operation lasting over seven hours. As many as 45 garbage trucks will be pressed into service to collect and transport the waste materials left behind by devotees,” says G.R. Anil, chairman of the Standing Committee on Health.

The Corporation will also deploy 20 tanker lorries to provide drinking water to the devotees at various points. As many as 80 Health Inspectors and Junior Health Inspectors, including five women, will supervise the cleaning operations.

A special squad has been constituted to keep a tab on eatables and drinks distributed to devotees. The squad will also carry out inspections on hotels and eateries. Water sprinklers will be pressed into service to suppress dust clouds, especially in the areas where road works are yet to be completed.

Special squads

The Corporation has set up special squads to round up beggars from public places in the festival zone. Stray dogs that could pose a threat to devotees are being captured by squads of animal handlers. Special teams deployed by the health section are carrying out fogging to keep the mosquito menace under control and drains are being cleaned up. Directions have been issued to the health squads to inspect food materials kept for sale at satellite festival venues all over the city and enforce the ban on plastic materials. “We also have squads to prevent the use of unburned bricks that crumble easily, making them difficult to remove. The squads are going around the Chalai, Manacaud and Kuriyathi wards. They will seize bricks that are unloaded and stored anywhere in the city,” Mr. Anil said.

Utility services involved in road works have been directed to remove the debris and materials piled up by the sides of the main road corridors. “A joint inspection revealed that electric posts, water pipes and debris were dumped along the sides of the main road from East Fort to Statue. We have asked the Kerala State Electricity Board, Kerala Water Authority and PWD to remove the debris.” The Thiruvananthapuram Road Development Company Limited, the consortium executing the City Roads Improvement Project, has appealed to the public to avoid using paved footpaths to prepare hearths for the Pongala. “The tiles used for paving may get damaged and discoloured. The hearths can be prepared on the tarred road surface and the devotees can use the footpath to rest,” an official of the company said.

Safety measures

Meanwhile, the Electrical Inspectorate has requested the public to keep a safe distance from transformers, wooden posts and generators while preparing hearths for the Pongala and avoid pulling wires through gates, iron railings, grilles and metal boards for illumination during the festival. It has advised contractors to install tube-lights at safe heights, beyond the reach of devotees and refrain from putting up banners, arches and advertisement boards near electric lines.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 02:41
 

JMC to decentralise sanitation work

Monday, 22 February 2010 12:19 administrator
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The Times of India 22.02.2010

JMC to decentralise sanitation work

TNN, Feb 22, 2010, 03.56am IST
JAIPUR: As almost no work has been taken up by the municipal corporation (JMC) since several months now, the engineering section seeks to work on devolution formulas so that petty work like road repair, sewerage choking, street lighting etc could be resolved at the ward or zonal level.

Most believe that besides expediting pace of work at the ground level, the move would give some respite to city residents in getting their grievances redressed at local level and they need not run pillar to post at the offices any longer.

Chief engineer D L Bhakar, who chaired a meeting in this regard, said his section have arrived at the conclusion that petty issues should be dealt with at the local level.

“We want to sensitise the civic administration in the city to be people-centric and people-oriented. We have proposed to make the zonal offices of the JMC be accountable to the residents,” he said.

It has been learnt that the proposal has been sent to the mayor for her sanction which entail interalia empowering the health commissioner and the zonal commissioner for taking up public related works up to Rs 5 lakh for which the said officials need not take any prior sanction of the JMC Board.

“Most officials in the engineering section agreed that the officers above the level of executive engineers should be engaged in bigger projects. We want speedy resolution of people’s woes,” he said.

Many experts are of the view that if the proposal gets the nod, it would also lessen the chances of corruption. “It would also bypass the engineering section for approval of projects. Now the zonal office hitherto ineffective would be made responsible to public needs and they would be answerable to them as well,” claimed an expert.

The new set proposals also include the compulsory recruitment of additional eight sanitation workers at every zone if the civic body fails to contract out the service within a given time.
 
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