NMC Commissioner Y.O. Nandan inspecting the sanitation works, at YSR Nagar, in 30th Division in Nellore city, on Thursday.
Nellore Municipal Corporation (NMC) has taken multiple measures to prevent mosquito menace in the city limits. Due to a brief spell of rain in the past few days, the rainwater stagnated at public places and open sites, has turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes. To check the spread of vector-borne diseases, special steps have been initiated across all divisions in the city.
As a part of the supervision of sanitation works, NMC Commissioner Y.O. Nandan visited the localities, including YSR Nagar, Mallaiah Gunta, Kendriya Vidyalayam, and Journalist Colony in 30th Division on Thursday morning. He spoke to the local people directly and inquired about their problems related to water.
Speaking to The Hindu, NMC Commissioner Y.O. Nandan said, “The fogging process is being taken up daily in all divisions under the municipal limits. Apart from this, spraying, releasing oil balls, raising Gambusia fish, and other steps are also underway. However, these are temporary measures. We have started standard measures also to keep mosquitoes at bay.”
“During the last few years, drains have been neglected in the city. Now, we are reviving all the minor and major drains by spending over ₹6 crore. Desiltation of internal canals has already begun with ₹1.5 crore. The desiltation process will take place in Nellore Rural constituency with ₹2.5 crore and in Nellore City constituency with ₹2.7 crore. The tenders will be opened on May 12,” he added.
With the desilting of the minor and medium drains, the free flow of water will stop the production of the larval growth, preventing the mosquito menace in the city. Along with regular desilting and silt removal work, the Commissioner has directed the staff to spray mosquito repellents in drains across all divisions.
He asked the supervising staff to ensure that wet and dry waste is collected separately. He suggested that the fogging process should be done in all divisions only from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. and from 4.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. through hand fogging machines. Complete details of the fogging process carried out every day should be reported to the higher authorities in the office.
The Commissioner ordered the sanitation workers to be responsible in their duties and warned them of strict action if they are negligent in their duties. If the fogging machine is under repair, the machine should be taken from the nearest Secretariat and used in a timely manner, and fogging should be carried out regularly in all divisions.
Special campaign
A special campaign has been started to offer underground drainage (UGD) connection to residents for just ₹1 from Thursday. The campaign was launched in Nawabpet and Bhagat Singh Colony areas. “Due to lack of awareness among the people, very few UGD connections have been taken up so far. We are trying to motivate educated and elite households to opt for UGD,” Mr. Nandan said.
He advised the officials to expedite the ongoing UGD connections across the city and contribute to a clean city. He directed the representatives of L&T and other companies to quickly complete the daily targets set for UGD connections. Through the UGD system, the sanitation work can be carried out in a planned manner throughout the city, he informed.
Published – May 08, 2025 09:02 pm IST
