Firhad Hakim stresses on steps to check vector-borne diseases

"Councillors will have to pull up their socks for massive public awareness in their respective municipal areas to combat diseases like dengue," Hakim said speaking at a meeting of urban local bodies and 25 municipalities across the state.

The minister maintained that despite all efforts on part of the

state government and other stakeholders, the desired results over vector-borne diseases cannot be achieved until people are responsible enough to keep their own premises clean.

"We are using fogging machines, doing house-to-house campaigns and circulating do's and don't's but people have to be vigilant," the minister said.

He also referred to one of his own experiences when he had found that water had accumulated in flower pots on the roofs of his own house. "I had gone to the roof of the house a few days back while it was raining. I found there were some empty flower pots in which water was accumulating. I immediately turned them upside down and told my family members that they should be careful and should not let these things happen," he added.

The minister had urged the chairman of the civic bodies to conduct fortnightly meetings to monitor the progress of the awareness drives in their respective areas.

Some chairmans flagged off the issue regarding the resistance that they often face in conducting drives at the Central government establishments and the surrounding areas of ponds owned by public.

"We have been given contact numbers of nodal officers whom we need to get in touch with whenever we face any difficulty in taking such drive. If the problem continues even after contacting the nodal officers, then the department should be informed," a chairman of a municipality in the northern fringes of the city said.