Mayor assures preventive measures for mosquito breeding in Indiranagar

NASHIK: Four days after a resident of Indiranagar died of dengue in a private hospital, mayor Ashok Murtadak visited the area on Sunday and pledged a special cleanliness drive within 48 hours.
Officials of the hospital where Jitendra Kulkarni (42) was undergoing treatment said he succumbed to dengue on November 5. His wife, Swati, is also a dengue suspect.On November 6, another dengue suspect had died in another private hospital, sparking fear among the citizens about the disease.
On Sunday afternoon, the mayor, along with local MNS corporator Archana Jadhav, visited the area and Shitala Apartment where the Kulkarni family resides. He told the residents that a special cleanliness drive would be launched in the area. The residents complained of a big trench near the Indiranagar police station that had not been attended to for quite some time and that there was a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
The corporator accused the civic body of not responding to complaints about mosquitoes in the area and also of doing a shoddy work in terms of storm water drainage.
"Within two days I will visit the area with the civic officials and instruct them to carry out all necessary cleanliness activities and fogging. I will also ask them to clear the garbage in the open areas as well," Murtadak said. The mayor added he would hold a meeting with the civic officials and all preventive measures to check mosquito breeding would be taken at the earliest.
Civic officials said they had strengthened their cleanliness drives and are also fogging and spraying in mosquito breeding spots.
"But the citizens should also exercise caution. They should keep their surroundings clean. We have been creating awareness among people about the importance of keeping environment clean. We have asked them not to store water beyond seven days. We noticed during our visits that most houses with dengue patients were not following our instructions," said an official of the health department.
In the meantime, the civic body's Satpur division and health officials conducted an awareness drive at Satpur village, Rajwada and other areas.