A meeting of the District Development Committee (DDC), chaired by District Collector Kesavendrakumar, directed the Public Works Department (PWD) officials to conduct a detailed study on the safety and strength of old bridges in the district.
He also directed the department to submit a detailed report on the issue on a war footing and complete the maintenance work on roads and culverts before the monsoon season.
A. Madhumati, Executive Engineer (Roads), PWD, said that she had submitted a proposal for Rs.40 lakh to the Chief Engineer, PWD, to purchase a pothole-repairing machine to fill the potholes on PWD roads.
District Medical Officer Ashadevi said the Health Department had drafted a master plan for the comprehensive development of the district hospital at Mananthavady.
Sewage plant
A proposal had also been submitted for constructing a sewage treatment plant for the hospital.
Construction work on two complexes with a modern operation theatre would be completed by the first week of February, Dr. Ashadevi said. Vaccination drive against Kysanur Forest Disease (KFD or monkey fever) was under way at full swing in villages on the forest fringes, though KFD was yet to be reported in the district this year, she added.
Arrears of teaching and non-teaching staff of 11 of 12 high schools that had been upgraded under Rashtriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyan (RMSA) in the district were disbursed, project officer RMSA, Wayanad, said.
Child labour
Labour Department officials said they had conducted surprise raids on big coffee plantations in the district in the wake of reports on forced child labour in plantation sector during the harvesting season. However, they were yet to find any forced child labour in coffee plantations but, they rescued three tribal children who had been engaged in harvesting coffee in a small plantation at Kavumannam in Thariyode grama panchayat. They were produced before the Child Welfare Committee, the officials added.
Wayanad Sub-Collector Sreeram Samba Siva Rao mooted the idea of conducting regular raids on plantations with the support of Kudumbasree units and tribal promoters to tackle such unhealthy practices.
Rs.40-lakh proposal for buying pothole-repairing machine
Vaccination drive against monkey fever under way
