Rashtrapati Bhavan gets 50 notices over mosquito breeding

The New Delhi Municipal Council has slapped 52 notices on the Rashtrapati Bhavan as mosquito breeding has been found at many accumulated pools of stagnant water at the sprawling President’s Estate. 

The notices have been issued to the Rashtrapati Bhavan since January, after the NDMC found mosquito larvae at many places dotting the 320-acre Estate.

With the Capital reporting many dengue cases, the NDMC has decided to control the mosquito menace, including in the President’s Estate. “We have issued 52 notices to various complexes and residential quarters in the Presidential Estate. We had formed teams to inspect the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises, which then spotted mosquitogenic conditions,” a senior NDMC official said.

The teams included members from the sanitation and horticulture units at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the civil engineering unit under the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and personnel of the malaria unit of the NDMC health department.

Last year, the NDMC had issued over 125 notices to the President’s Estate after “heavy” mosquito breeding was found at various places on its sprawling campus.

Advisories have been issued to more than 50 embassies that fall in the NDMC area to be active in controlling breeding of mosquitoes.

The NDMC official said the civic body does not have the authority to issue challan or serve notice to embassies, and would extend all support to embassies in controlling mosquito breeding.

Regarding government offices and residential colonies, the official said if after inspection, the premises are found to be positive for mosquito breeding, then notices are served.

Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi Golf Club, Shivaji Stadium and Akashwani Bhawan are among the 146 buildings challaned by the civic body over mosquito breeding this season. The civic body has so far issued a total of 3,337 notices this season.

Among the buildings that have been issued notices by the NDMC are prominent hospitals, including AIIMS, Safdarjung, Lady Hardinge Medical College and LHMC hospital.

Prestigious hotels such as Ashoka and Taj Man Singh have also been slapped with notices, after the inspection team detected mosquitogenic conditions on their premises.

“We have issued 3,337 notices and 146 challans this season over mosquito breeding. During the inspection, if the premises are tested positive for mosquito breeding, they are issued notices,” the official said.

“But if no improvement is found in the hygiene conditions during the next inspection, the defaulters are issued a challan,” he added.

According to municipal reports, at least 171 cases of dengue have been reported this season in Delhi with 52 of these being recorded in the first week of August.