The Hindu 19.02.2010
Meeting held to tackle mosquito menace
Special Correspondent
CUDDALORE: Collector P. Seetharaman has directed the Municipal Commissioners and the civic bodies to initiate legal action against households that are having permanent puddle of water on their premises and also impose a fine on them.
Presiding over a mosquito menace eradication committee meeting held here on Wednesday, he said mosquitoes seemed to have developed immunity to chemical retardants. The way out is to do away with the breeding places, particularly puddles in the households. The civic bodies should direct such households to clean up the places. If they are not obliging, Sections 84 (1), 86 and 87 (1) of the General Sanitation Act 1939 should be invoked against them, Mr. Seetharaman said.
The civic bodies should also impose a fine of Rs. 500 on the households that defy the direction. However, members pointed out that since new residential colonies were coming up on the periphery of towns, there was an overlapping of jurisdiction between the municipality and the panchayats and, hence, the mosquito menace could not be effectively tackled.
Mr. Seetharaman asked the members to ensure the involvement of panchayat presidents in this endeavour.
