CUTTACK: The newly elected Cuttack Municipal Corporation(CMC) mayor Subhas Singh has emphasised on making the Millennium City mosquito-free. Singh who held a meeting with CMC officials on Tuesday to discuss ways for curbing the mosquito menace in the city, which was one of his key election promises.
Singh also invited former Cuttack Municipality Chairman Trilochan Kanungo to the meeting to share his experience and take his suggestions as to how he was able to give a complete relief to the people of the city from the mosquito menace 32 years ago.
City health officer Satyabrat Mohapatra apprised Singh that the mosquito eradication programme is hampered due to lack of adequate skilled manpower and mosquito larvicide oil. Several posts including the two filaria inspectors (FIs), malaria inspector, field staff and sanitary workers are lying vacant forcing the civic body to carry out mosquito eradication programme with unskilled staff and inadequate mosquito larvicide oil.
Mohapatra also told Singh that the Odisha State Medical Corporation (OSMC) has stopped supplying mosquito larvicide oil for the last one year as a result of which the civic body has to purchase it from the market. After the discussion, it was decided that the civic body will put up the issues before the government including filling up vacant posts and supply of adequate quantity of quality larvicide oil.
The civic body will purchase around 9,000 litres of larvicide oil at the cost of Rs 12 lakh to continue the mosquito eradication programme for the month of May by floating tender, informed Singh. “We have identified as many 100 ponds across the 59 wards which are lying abandoned and fast turning into breeding grounds for mosquitoes. We will renovate the ponds beside desilting the drains and cleaning chocked culverts to curb the mosquito menace,” said Singh. “I have started supervising the work at the attendance point,” Singh added.