Tuesday, 26 SEPTEMBER 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) has collected over Rs 10 lakh this month as a penalty from residential and commercial establishments for allowing the breeding of dengue causing mosquitoes on their premises, said the Dehradun municipal commissioner Manuj Goyal. He said that the corporation has imposed penalties on about 350 establishments this month and collected over Rs 10 lakh as a penalty. Most of these establishments include residential buildings but hefty penalties were mostly recovered from commercial establishments that contribute to the major part of the collected revenue, he said. According to him, the teams have been imposing heavy penalties ranging from Rs 500 to Rs one lakh on offenders who allow mosquito breeding on their premises. “The corporation’s motive is not to generate revenue by imposing penalties but rather to make people realise their mistakes. People allow mosquito breeding within their premises despite knowing how it is caused and what they need to do to prevent it. Their blatant ignorance and negligence leads to massive spread of dengue,” said Goyal. He said that MCD teams have been conducting regular inspections to raise awareness among people but they still find many people on a daily basis who neither keep their premises clean nor do they cooperate with them. “Public participation is crucial and by raising awareness and imposing penalties for violations, we let people know what is necessary to prevent dengue and how they are contributing to its spread,” he added. The chief municipal health officer Dr Avinash Khanna also informed that the corporation started raising awareness against dengue under their anti-dengue campaign in July and collected about Rs one lakh as a penalty till last month by imposing fines on about 100 people. Considering the continuous rise in dengue cases in the city, the sanitation teams have intensified their campaign and have collected over 11 lakh from about 410 establishments, said Khanna. “The MCD will continue the campaign till the risk of dengue continues to persist in the city,” he added.
