BMC conducts fogging in city’s posh localities

Filmmaker Yash Chopra’s death because of dengue and pneumonia has triggered the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) into preventing the spread of the disease in plush and upper-middle class localities in the city.

Filmmaker Yash Chopra’s death because of dengue and pneumonia has triggered the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) into preventing the spread of the disease in plush and upper-middle class localities in the city.

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According to sources, the staff from the public health department has visited several high-profile areas such as the residence of actor Shah Rukh Khan in Bandra, among others, to conduct fogging. Pest control activities have also been undertaken at some film studios in the city.

The civic body, however, has denied taking special measures. “Fogging is a part of our routine activity. No special visits were planned,” said an official from the civic public health department.

Additional municipal commissioner Rajiv Jalota said that the civic body has upped its actions in the upper middle-class areas that are more prone to the disease.

“Officials have been asked to establish coordination with private hospitals and conduct a ward-wise micro-mapping to identify sensitive areas,” said Jalota.

Corporators in the civic general body have urged the administration to be proactive and approach the state government to mark dengue as a notifiable disease, which will make it mandatory for private hospitals to report the disease to the BMC.

“A resolution to this effect should be passed and the BMC should write to the state government asking them to take necessary action,” said Dilip Patel, BJP group leader in the BMC.

Defending the civic body’s efforts, mayor Sunil Prabhu said: “We need a plan of action to curb the spread of dengue,” said Prabhu.