Health worries: Parking project site a breeding ground for mosquitoes in P’kula

Ishrat S Banwait

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Panchkula, October 23

The ambitious multi-level parking project being undertaken near the Panchkula Mini-Secretariat has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The construction site has a few temporary huts where labourers live and is a pathway between the District Courts and the Mini-Secretariat. With stagnant water all around the under-construction building, there is a constant fear of outbreak of diseases like dengue, malaria and chikungunya.

Hundreds of people walk past the parking project as it is a short way between the District Courts and the Mini-Secretariat. The labourers are continuously working on the premises and a few huts alongside indicate that they live in unhygienic conditions. On being asked about the unhygienic conditions near the construction site, Garima Mittal, Deputy Commissioner, Panchkula, said, “This is already in our notice as stagnant water is a possibility at all construction sites. Builders have been told time and again to prevent stagnation of water and breeding of larvae.”

The accumulated water is not temporary as it does not accumulate just after rain but it is a result of constant watering of the walls. The workers, contractors or even officers do not take note of the stagnant water in the area, especially in this season of vector-borne diseases. Dr VK Bansal, Civil Surgeon, Panchkula, said, “We ask builders to take care of such things and prevent mosquito breeding. Our teams spray medicine wherever they see a potential breeding ground.”