Dengue lens on buildings under construction in Kolkata

Kolkata: After imposing heavy penalties on a section of vacant land owners for accumulation of garbage, the KMC health department has set its sight on under-construction buildings, particularly in areas known to be dengue prone.

The KMC has identified some such buildings and served notices asking the developers to clear stagnant water from the construction sites. If the developers fail to clear the stagnant water in three days, the civic body will lodge a complaint with the municipal magistrate pleading to impose a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the errant developers. In case the owner of a residential building is found to have deposited huge garbage in his/her premises, the KMC may clean it up and recover the dues from the owner.

Apart from serving notices on the private residential houses or under-construction buildings, the KMC health department shortlisted several government offices, academic institutes or hospitals where the civic officials will conduct a special drive. "If need be, we will also slap penalties on government agencies for flouting the dengue guidelines," said a KMC health department official.

A KMC health department official said, a KMC vector control crack team has already visited large stretches of roads in Kidderpore, Behala, Tollygunge-Jadavpur belt, Garia and areas off EM Bypass, including Anandapur, Madurdaha, Mukundapur, Purbachal, Garfa, Kasba, Patuli and taken note of developers allowing stagnant water in the construction sites.

KMC health department sources confirmed that several of these areas had become dengue hotspots last year. "Taking a lesson from last year's denhue outbreak in several areas located off EM Bypass and Tollygunge-Jadavpur belt, we have initiated an early vigil on these areas. We have focused on accumulation of water in the under-construction buildings and have found rainwater accumulating in several under-construction apartment buildings in Behala, Tollygunge, Garia and neighbourhoods along the Bypass. We have served notices asking the developers to clean the stagnant water or else we will be compelled to impose penalties on the errant developers," said a KMC health department senior official.