Vehicle-mounted fogging machines are set to make a re-entry into the city as a mosquito control measure.
The Kochi Corporation council meeting held on Monday decided to reintroduce the vehicles in the absence of the chairman of the Health Standing Committee, responsible for the anti-mosquito drive. The Corporation had earlier called back the vehicles after it was found to be an expensive affair.
The decision to reintroduce the machines was taken following severe criticism against the failure of the civic administration in pest management. Cutting across political lines, councillors complained that the pest attack had intensified in the city making life miserable for residents.
T.J. Vinod, chairman of the Development Standing Committee, and several Congress councillors joined the LDF councillors in insisting that immediate measures be introduced. Though Mayor Tony Chammany said the health standing committee would look into the issue, Mr. Vinod and others said the council should waste no time to act.
The Mayor said the Corporation had been deploying manually operated-miniature fogging machines and machines mounted on cycles. The devices were to be used in narrow roads and by-lanes inaccessible to vehicles. The health committee had earlier deployed two workers each for every division. The complaints about the ineffectiveness of the mini fogging machines would be looked into, Mr. Chammany said.
Several councillors complained that present pest-control measures were ineffective, and questioned the claim of the authorities that the machines covered all city divisions on a regular basis.
