Kolkata: KMC has started a special dengue drive in areas where dengue cases are on the rise. The KMC vector-control department, led by deputy mayor Atin Ghosh, is visiting these areas and conduct a drive at vulnerable sites, including housing complexes, academic institutes, hospitals, and govt quarters, among other places.
Additionally, separate drives are being planned at the Durga Puja pandals, especially those in dengue-prone zones.
On Tuesday, the KMC team visited Government Art College on JL Nehru Road and a Durga Puja pandal at Park Circus Maidan. Both areas are in the dengue-prone zone. According to a civic official, the department identified six boroughs that are witnessing a spurt in dengue numbers. Besides Park Circus and its adjacent neighbourhoods, Ballygunge, Bhowanipore, Gariahat, Jodhpur Park, Lake Gardens, Golf Green, Anwar Shah Road, New Alipore, Behala and Kidderpore are under under watch.
Ghosh on Monday said that guidelines were being sent to some govt departments and agencies to keep certain hospital premises and staff quarters garbage-free. On Tuesday, civic officials found mounds of garbage scattered on the Government Art College premises.
The KMC health department has identified several under-construction buildings where stormwater is accumulating. "We may need to locate construction sites to prevent the spread of dengue in parts of south Kolkata," said a KMC health department official. Some of the south Kolkata neighbourhoods witnessing construction activities and are prone to dengue include Bhowanipore, Hazra, Ballygunge, Kalighat, Chetla, New Alipore, Behala, Kidderpore, Tollygunge and Jadavpur, among others.
The KMC vector-control team has also intensified its drive in neighbourhoods off EM Bypass that include Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Madurdaha, Patuli, Santoshpur, Kasba, and Garfa.