HYDERABAD/KARIMNAGAR/WARANGAL/NIZAMABAD/MAHBUBNAGAR/SIDDIPET/KHAMMAM: Monsoon is just around the corner and the State is gearing up to fight the seasonal diseases that accompany it. A week-long sanitation drive, from June 1 to June 8, has been initiated in districts across Telangana as a precautionary measure against dengue, malaria, chikungunya and other vector-borne diseases.
In Hyderabad, the special sanitation drive covering 150 divisions of the GHMC was launched by Mayor Bonthu Rammohan. He swept roads and cleared garbage on the roadside at Lalithanagar in Musheerabad. The GHMC will penalise people who dump waste or construction debris without permission from the civic body, he said.
Launching the sanitation drive in Karimnagar on Monday, Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar released Gumbusia or Mosquitofish in the drains to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.
Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, while inaugurating the drive in Warangal, said that the State government has decided to construct godowns in every constituency to help farmers stock their produce, so that it is protected from the rain.
Minister for Women, Child and Tribal Welfare Satyavathi Rathod, meanwhile, visited Garla mandal in Mahabubabad district, as part of the drive. She urged the public to ensure there was no water stagnation in their houses to avoid the spread of diseases.
Mulugu MLA Seethakka took part in a sanitation drive at an examination centre in the district, in preparation for the SCC exams, which would be held from June 8. She assisted the sanitation staff by spraying disinfectant in the classrooms and sprinkling bleaching powder near Mulugu Government High School.
In Nizamabad district, Collector C Narayana Reddy inspected D-52 canal desilting work and advised the officials to complete it before the arrival of monsoon.
The drive was also taken up in 19 municipalities and 1,692 villages of Mahbubnagar on Monday. This was in addition to the COVID-19 prevention measures in the district. On Day 1 of the drive, public representatives took out a padayatra in various villages to identify the concerns of the people. Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy, while launching the drive in Wanaparthy, requested the public to keep their surroundings clean.
Finance Minister T Harish Rao, while touring Siddipet, directed officials to install drinking water metres in every house. He also pointed out the lack of sanitation in certain neighbourhoods and asked the officials to do the needful.
Officials pulled up
Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar reprimanded the panchyat secretary of Kodakodima village in Wyra for failing to keep the roads clean. The Minister visited Konijerla, Tanikalla, Kodakodima villages to inaugurate the sanitation drive. Unhappy with the drainage and garbage collection systems in the Kodakodima, Puvvada asked the officials to clean up the area immediately.
Sangareddy District Collector M Hanumanth Rao too lost his cool on Monday at the sight of poor sanitation in Konapur village. He issued a show-cause notice to the panchayat secretary for his negligence in carrying out the sanitation drive.
Show-cause notice to panchayat secretary
Sangareddy Collector M Hanumanth Rao lost his cool on Monday at the sight of poor sanitation in Konapur village. He issued a show-cause notice to the panchayat secretary for his negligence in taking up the sanitation drive