Rashtrapati Bhavan gets 52 notices over mosquito breeding

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 21

Rashtrapati Bhavan has been found to be a breeding ground for mosquitoes with the New Delhi Municipal Council sending as many as 52 notices since January this year. 

Inspection teams have found mosquito larvae at many places within the 320-acre President's Estate, said the civic body while adding that last year it has issued over 125 notices to the estate. 

As a whole, the civic body has so far issued a total of 3,337 notices this season. Besides, Rashtrapati Bhavan, AIIMS, Safdarjung hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College and Hospital, Delhi Golf Club, Shivaji Stadium and Akashwani Bhawan are among the 146 buildings challaned by the NDMC for mosquitogenic conditions this season. 

In addition to government buildings, big hotels such as the Ashok and Taj Mansingh have also been issued notices. 

Advisories have also been issued to more than 50 embassies that are under the NDMC jurisdiction on controlling breeding of mosquitoes.

An NDMC official said the civic body does not have the authority to issue challan or serve notice to embassies, and would extend all support to embassies in controlling mosquito breeding.

Regarding government offices and residential colonies, the official said if after inspection, the premises are found to be positive for mosquito breeding, then notices are served.

According to municipal records, this season at least 171 cases of dengue have surfaced in Delhi with 52 of them being those recorded in the first week of August and the disease has claimed two lives so far.