Dengue: Mohali MC fails to meet fogging guidelines

Kulwinder Sangha

Mohali, September 12

Even as cases of dengue fever are rising in Mohali city, the Municipal Corporation is proving to be incompetent in carrying out fogging as per the requirements of the Health Department.

With the increase in confirmed dengue cases from 98 to 124 in Mohali over the past four days, residents concerned have been approaching the civic body for undertaking fogging in their respective areas.

In some cases, the requests are attended to early, while in others residents are asked to await their turn as fixed under the sector schedule. It is learnt that the corporation is short of machinery and manpower and has failed to meet the Mohali Civil Surgeon’s guidelines on fogging.

It is learnt that Dr Ranjit Kaur Guru, Civil Surgeon, had written a letter to the MC Commissioner on August 19 in which she had stated that fogging should be intensified in Mohali as cases of dengue were on the rise. She had said that fogging should be done according to the Health Department’s guidelines. It should be undertaken twice a day (morning and evening) and the cycle should be repeated every week.

She had also stated that the speed of the vehicle carrying the fogging machine should be 6 km per hour. She also asked the civic body authorities to provide the roster prepared for carrying out fogging in Mohali, besides submitting a weekly report in this regard.

Sources said the civic body had three fogging machines, of which one had not been functional for about a month-and-a-half. Another machine had developed a snag and had been out of order for four days last week, upsetting the fogging cycle. No surplus staff had been provided to the fogging team, which again affected its working. Moreover, new employees put on fogging work were yet to get familiar with certain city areas.

It is learnt that the corporation was planning to buy a new fogging machine, but the process would take about a month’s time.

Deputy Mayor Manjit Singh Sethi said while the Civil Surgeon had suggested a weekly cycle for fogging, civic body employees were following a 10-12 day cycle and that, too, once a day. Moreover, no information in this regard was being provided to the Civil Surgeon.

Sethi said he had written to Mayor Kulwant Singh about the shortcomings in the fogging work.