Notices issued to shops, households for failing to curb breeding of mosquitoes

“We have issued a total of 152 notices for being unclean and turning out to be breeding spots for mosquitoes. Notices are issued only if they do not heed to our request to clean the premises despite repeated requests,” said Corporation City Health Officer K Santhosh Kumar. The public health department has gone a step ahead by warning of disconnecting water pipelines, if the surroundings are found to be untidy. 

This action by the health department comes following a spurt in deaths, mainly due to dengue in Coimbatore district. More than 15 persons mostly children in Salem and an equal number of persons in Coimbatore have succumbed to dengue so far. 

“Our main objective of issuing notice is to make the place clean and eliminate dengue breeding mosquitoes. Inspections will be carried out again,” said Santhosh Kumar. The railway hospital at Ponmalai in Tiruchy lacks proper testing facilities, said Deputy General Secretary of DREU, D Manoharan, on Tuesday. He urged the railway authorities to take preventive steps. 

According to Manoharan, over 50 patients with symptoms of fever underwent blood tests at Ponmalai Railway Hospital in September. Among them, 15 tested positive for dengue but the hospital could not treat them as it lacked the basic facilities. “No step has been initiated to prevent breeding of mosquitoes in the railway quarters. Southern Railways should allocate more funds for the cause and make Nilavembu Kashayam available in all the railway hospitals,” said Manoharan in a statement. 

The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, on Tuesday, had sent notice to state and central governments in the petition that had pleaded the High Court to direct the government to provide compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the family of those who had died of dengue. Judges, Venugopal and Abdul Kuthus, who heard the petition, adjourned it to October 24.