The Hindu 28.06.2013
Fine of Rs. 50 for mosquito breeding
The Chennai Corporation on Thursday instructed its officials to intensify penal action against owners of properties that serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Residents who fail to take measures to ‘abate nuisance’ within seven days will have to pay a fine of Rs. 50. An additional amount of Rs. 10 per day will be collected till the breeding ground is cleared.
A meeting to commence a mass campaign in the city was held on Thursday. Members of residential associations have been asked to report breeding grounds in their neighbourhoods to health department officials of the Corporation. The city has more than 11 lakh residential and commercial properties.
“Any overhead tank or sump left open by residents can be pointed out by the residents’ associations. If the person concerned refuses to heed the advice of neighbours, he can be reported to officials. The sanitary inspector will serve notices to such residents under sections 83 & 84 of the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act,” said an official.
Members of residents’ associations will take part in a rally on Sunday as part of a mass campaign to prevent breeding of mosquitoes in the coming months. Pamphlets will be distributed to residents.
This is part of a new strategy to deal with mosquito menace during the rains. Additional malaria workers too will be deployed in wards to cope with the rising mosquito densities from July to October. The workers will also desilt drains, clear breeding sources, carry out fogging operations and screen overhead tanks.
The intermittent rains and water scarcity over the coming months are likely to result in cropping up of artificial and natural mosquito breeding grounds, posing a serious challenge to mosquito control operations, an official said.
Overhead tanks or sumps left open by residents can now be brought to the notice of the Corporation.
