Petition seeks to clear overgrowth on vacant plots in Coimbatore

Coimbatore: The

Social Justice Party

on Monday petitioned the district collector seeking to clear dense overgrowth on vacant plots in the city and stop breeding of mosquitoes in stagnant rainwater.

Fresh water stagnates in vacant plots facilitating the breeding of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the petition said.

President of the party Mani Bharathi said there were many plots within the

Coimbatore Corporation

limits and the panchayat areas which are lying unused. “In case of government-owned land, it is either yet to be given away with pattas or used for a project. Many people own a piece of land in an area but live in another location for different reasons.”

“But since it is not in use, most of the lands have dense overgrowth and others are used as make-shift garbage dumping yards,” he said.

“Many of these vacant plots are within or right behind a residential area. They are also a perfect ground for mosquitoes breeding because rainwater collects in small crevices in those lands and when people dump waste like old tyres, plates and cups, rainwater collects in them too. Mosquitoes fly into the neighbourhood and spread dengue,” the petition said.

The party said with the northeast monsoon setting in, the district administration should start clearing overgrowth on government-owned vacant lands immediately. “This can be done under the Swacch Bharat scheme,” said Bharathi. “They should start notifying private land owners to do the same,” he said.