Over 50 notices issued to Rashtrapati Bhavan over mosquito

breeding   New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) The sprawling President’s Estatehas been found to be breeding mosquitoes at many accumulatedpools of stagnant water — with 52 notices slapped onRashtrapati Bhavan by the New Delhi Municipal Council. The notices were issued to Rashtrapati Bhavan sinceJanuary by NDMC after mosquito larvae were found at manyplaces dotting the 320-acre estate. With the capital reporting many dengue cases, the NDMChas decided to control the mosquito menace, including in thePresident’s Estate. "We have issued 52 notices to various complexes andresidential quarters in the Presidential Estate. We had formedteams to inspect the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises, which thenspotted mosquitogenic conditions," a senior NDMC officialsaid. The teams included members from the sanitation andhorticulture units at Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the civilengineering unit under the Central Public Works Department(CPWD) and personnel of the malaria unit of the NDMC healthdepartment. Last year, NDMC had issued over 125 notices to thePresident’s Estate after "heavy" mosquito-breeding was foundat various places on its sprawling campus. Advisories have been issued to more than 50 embassiesthat fall in the NDMC area to be active in controllingbreeding of mosquitoes. The NDMC official said the civic body does not have theauthority to issue challan or serve notice to embassies, andwould extend all support to embassies in controlling mosquitobreeding. Regarding government offices and residential colonies,the official said if after inspection, the premises are foundto be positive for mosquito breeding, then notices are served. Safdarjung hospital, prestigious Delhi Golf Club, ShivajiStadium and Akashwani Bhawan are among the 146 buildingschallaned by the civic body over dengue breeding this season. The civic body has so far issued a total of 3,337 noticesthis season. Among the buildings which have been issued notices byNDMC are prominent hospitals including AIIMS, Safdarjung, LadyHardinge Medical Vollege and LHMC hospital. Prestigious hotels such as Ashoka and Taj Man Singh havealso been issued notices after the inspection team detectedmosquitogenic conditions in their premises. "We have issued 3,337 notices and 146 challans thisseason over dengue breeding. During the inspection, if thepremises are tested positive for mosquito breeding, they areissued notices," the official said. "But if no improvement is found in the hygiene conditionsduring the next inspection, the defaulters are issuedchallan," he added. According to municipal reports, at least 171 cases ofdengue have been reported this season in Delhi with 52 ofthese being recorded in the first week of August. The vector-borne disease has claimed two lives so farduring this season. PTI GJS IKA RGIKA