President's Estate breeding mosquitoes - gets 76 notices

The sprawling President's Estate has been found to be breeding mosquitoes at many accumulated pools of stagnant water -- with 76 notices slapped on Rashtrapati Bhavan by civic agency NDMC.

The notices were issued to Rashtrapati Bhavan since January by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) after mosquito larvae were found at many places dotting the 320-acre estate, said an NDMC official.

With the capital reporting many dengue cases, the NDMC has decided to control the mosquito menace, including in the President's Estate.

Four teams comprising four members each were set up on Tuesday to control mosquito breeding at the President's Estate.

The teams included members from the sanitation and horticulture units at Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the civil engineering unit under the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and personnel of the malaria unit of the NDMC health department.

According to an NDMC official, the decision to send the teams was taken after a meeting between the NDMC and the director of the President's Estate.

"We are helping officials of the President's House make the entire area free from mosquito-breeding conditions. The notices were issued from January 1 till August 25 at individual capacity by different departments," R.N. Singh, chief medical officer for malaria and dengue at NDMC, told IANS.

Other government institutions have also been served notices for mosquito breeding. These are Safdarjung Airport, Mausam Vibhag, Railway Officers Colony at S.P. Marg, Chhattisgarh Bhavan and hospitals like AIIMS, Safdarjung and RML.

Advisories have been issued to more than 50 embassies that fall in the NDMC area to be active in controlling breeding of mosquitoes.

The 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.
"If after repeated notice, no improvement is seen, then challans are issued," he said.
This year, already 3,215 notices have been served for mosquito breeding in various places in the NDMC area, and 137 challans have been issued.

This year, 530 dengue cases have been reported in the national capital so far, with more than 440 cases reported in August alone. Two deaths have been reported so far due to dengue this year.