PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (
PMC
) has fined at least 750 residents of the city for not taking precautions to prevent
mosquito
breeding in their vicinity. Total fines worth around Rs 1.75 lakh have been collected from such offenders over several weeks.
“Stagnated water in the premises of such people has led to rampant breeding of mosquitoes. This has ultimately caused dengue for many. So, we have charged them a fine and have also issued warnings to all,” said Sanjeev Wavare, a senior official of PMC’s health department.
As per PMC data, in the course of the crackdown, a range of fines were charged, based on the number of sites and breeding spots at any given location. The drive was undertaken over around a month’s time, and tackled both residential as well as commercial properties.
Most mosquito breeding spots were found in scrap tyres and abandoned vehicles, open tanks, flower pots, terraces, bathrooms, kitchens of eateries, garages, under-construction sites, and various marketplaces.
“Dengue cases were found at 400 places, but only breeding spots were seen at other locations. We have charged fines as a warning to the citizens involved. They should take precautionary measures to avoid mosquito breeding on their premises,” added Wavare.
Experts said quite a few residents diagnosed with dengue were showing a rapid downfall in platelet count, reaching up to 10,000 per microlitre of blood.