Mayor says owners of vacant lands must either develop them or ensure maintenance

Kolkata: In the wake of a spurt in dengue cases becoming a concern for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), the civic body is now zeroing in on locked-up properties and vacant lands in the southern part of the city.

The number of dengue cases in the city increased in July. The main cause that is being cited is the onset of monsoon showers. The number of cases which stood at 200 till the beginning of July, increased to about 250 by the end of the month. Several wards in the southern part of the city have witnessed an increase in cases and most of these come under Boroughs 9, 10, 11 and 12.

The reason for an apparent increase in cases in South Kolkata is attributed to the amounts of vacant lands and locked-up properties. Millennium Post had recently reported how monsoon has turned situations worse in properties which are decrepit and under lock and key. Rainwater continues to seep in, creating a mosquito breeding ground. Vacant lands have also become a concern as garbage is being chucked into these plots by locals. Many such lands are located along the EM Bypass.

Commenting on the matter, Mayor Firhad Hakim said owners of such vacant plots must develop them so that they do not remain vacant. He is of the opinion that the owners are keeping these plots vacant because they intend to sell them or develop them once the market price increases. However, in a bid to earn a profit, they are not taking into account the fact that such plots are posing a health risk to the public, he said. “I would advise the owners to either develop them or ensure they carry out maintenance of such plots,” he said, adding KMC cannot go on cleaning their vacant lands every time and soon will start slapping heavy fines.

KMC officials said for now, the civic body is cleaning these vacant properties but within a day or two garbage is again being chucked there. Officials said to review the vector-borne disease prevention and management activities in different wards of Borough XII, the Mayor and deputy mayor Atin Ghosh will conduct an administrative meeting on August 3. The meeting will be attended by the Borough chairman and the ward councillors and vector control officers. A similar meeting will be carried out to review preparations in Borough VIII on August 2.