Admin sleeps over city's mosquito menace

Allahabad: Summers have yet not set in but overflowing drains, a breeding ground for mosquitoes, have added to citizens' woes.There are several drains which have not been cleaned for the past several days. Allahabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) spokesperson S L Yadav said efforts are on to clean drains on the regular basis.However, a reality-check by TOI revealed that's not the case. A majority of the drains have not been cleaned as garbage continues to pile up and there is a stench emanating from these drains.In areas like Nihalpur, Sultanpur Bhawa, Akbarpur, Muthiganj, Attarsuiya, Chowk, Malviyanagar, Dariyabad, Bahadurganj, Kareli and Mohtashimganj, drains have not been cleaned for the past many months.In a Nihalpur locality, for instance, the flow of water has been completely blocked as the drain is choked with garbage, including pouches, rotten bags, polythenes and other waste.Oblivious, a sweet-seller is doing brisk business from a make-shift shop constructed on this drain.Resident Mathura Prasad said, "We have complained several times to AMC authorities regarding cleanliness of the drains but all our complaints have fallen on deaf ears."He added that there has been a spurt in the number of mosquitoes in the area. "We have to use mosquito coils, sprays and ointments to ward off mosquitoes but even those don't work anymore. Many children have fallen ill due to the mosquito menace."