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Tamil Nadu News Papers

Corporation speeds up anti-vector drive

Saturday, 28 December 2013 09:01
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Deccan Chronicle              28.12.2013

Corporation speeds up anti-vector drive

Chennai: Chennai corporation an­n­ounced in its council me­et on Friday that an additional five lakh mosquito nets would be procured for distribution to the poor and people res­iding along water bodies.

A resolution was pas­sed and mayor Saidai. S. Duraisamy said, “The civic body is already distributing nets to people who are financially we­ak to guard from mosqu­ito bites.

In addition to this, five lakh nets at Rs 169 per net and at a total cost of Rs 8.45 crore will be procured for distribution. Residents having a green card can get the nets. People who do not possess a ration card but are in need of mosquito nets can also benefit from the scheme,” the mayor said.

“In addition to providing mosquito nets, the corporation must focus on preventing mosquito breeding as the nets can act only as a temporary respite,” said DMK floor leader S.C. Bose.

“One malaria worker has been appointed to check mosquito breeding for every 500 houses and around 80 thousand houses are being mon­ito­red by these workers every day,” Mr Dura­isamy said.

“More than 50 per cent of mosquito breeding occurs due to the illegal drainage connections given to storm water dr­ains in the city, and this will be addressed by for­m­ing special zone wise committees to monitor the connections,” he added.

A detailed report on the outcome of the medical camps recently conducted by the civic body was also submitted during the council meet.

“Around 3.29 crore wo­rth medical services we­re provided at 1,000 slu­ms in the city,” acc­or­ding to the report. “Su­ch medical camps will be cond­ucted  regularly,” Mr Du­­­r­aisamy said.

 

78 resolutions passed despite ruckus by DMK councillors

Saturday, 28 December 2013 07:21
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Deccan Chronicle              28.12.2013

78 resolutions passed despite ruckus by DMK councillors

Chennai: The corporation’s council meet on Friday had the usual scenes of walkouts and mocking replies apart from discussions on civic issues.

The council passed 78 resolutions by the end, in­cluding resolutions on procurement of eight li­ght motorised vehicles to catch cattle and imposing company tax in ext­ended areas. The vehicles will be equipped wi­th hydraulic lifts to help lift cattle and load them into the vehicle with ease.

“The corporation needs to monitor the health of cows before and after ta­king them to the Blue Cross,” said DMK councilor V. Vasu. In another resolution, the corporation imposed the paym­e­nt of company tax in the extended regions of Ch­e­nnai. “The imposition of company tax will not affect the lower middle class or the poor community as the tax is applicable only to companies,” mayor Saidai S. Dura­is­amy said.

But political drama took the lead earlier in the day when the mayor charged DMK members for encroaching upon the OSR (open space reservation) land in the DMK headquarters — Anna Arivalayam.

Replying to councilor Arumugam on the OSR land at the Anna Ariv­a­layam, the mayor said, “Around 57 OSR lands have been obtained by the civic body from 2006 to 2007. But the land before the DMK headquarters has not been handed over through any documents to the corporation and the party has misused its power.”

Annoyed by the ma­y­or’s comment, DMK cou­nc­illors staged a walk­o­ut only to return to th­eir seats a few minutes later. “The allegations ma­de by the mayor about the OSR land is fabricated,” said DMK floor lea­der S.C. Bose. “While there are plenty of civic issues to be addr­essed by the city corporation, the ma­yor is diverting the council by playing politics,” he added.

 

'Mosquito nets only intervention measure'

Saturday, 28 December 2013 06:57
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The New Indian Express               28.12.2013

'Mosquito nets only intervention measure'

The issue of mosquito menace hogged the attention of the City Council at the Corporation Council Meeting, which was held on Friday. Answering questions raised by a councillor on the importance being given to the free mosquito net scheme over general mitigation measures, Chennai Mayor Saidai Duraisamy said that the distribution of mosquito nets to the general public was only an emergency intervention measure and had been implemented according to the needs. This will act as an ancillary measure to the already prevalent measures for  mosquito control, he said.

The Corporation during the council meeting passed a resolution to provide an additional five lakh mosquito nets in the city. Questioning the measure, councillors said that many had been denied the nets since they didn’t have ration cards. The Mayor explained that through the resolution, apart from the general public, the nets will also be given to students residing in hostels, patients at government hospitals and those residing in slums and on river banks.

He added, “The Corporation has already generated a list of underprivileged  people, who do not possess a ration card. The nets will be given to them using this list for verification.”

Over the course of the year, the Corporation has taken several measures against the mosquito menace. The Mayor also said that apart from the distribution of mosquito nets, the Corporation had actively implemented several other measures such as planting of five lakh nochi saplings on Open Space Reservation (OSR) lands and parks and taken stern action against illegal sewer lines connected to the storm water drain lines by several commercial establishments. But the stumbling block is the fact that the sewage lines and underground drainage come under the ambit of the CMWSSB, while the storm water drains are maintained by the Corporation.

The nochi plant scheme was announced in June this year, but is yet to gain impetus when it came to implementation.

However, the Mayor asserted that in the course of next year, the measures for mitigation of the mosquito menace will be heavily stepped up and the problems will be resolved at the earliest.

 
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