The Coimbatore Corporation on Friday intensified its drive to clean public places, government offices, police stations, fire stations, religious establishments, bus stands, buses and other places.
According to officials, the Corporation has diverted 800 workers, who were earlier engaged to combat dengue, to disinfect the aforementioned places and public transport vehicles. By doing so, the civic body has not in any way compromised the routine waste management or cleaning work, they added.
The Corporation had deployed the workers in all the five bus stands in the city – Mettupalayam Road, Gandhipuram town and mofussil, SETC, Singanallur and Ukkadam – to clean the interior and exterior of buses, pavements, public seating areas, ticket checkers’ offices, toilets, etc. The workers work round the clock in three shifts. Likewise, at the request of the TNSTC officials, the Corporation had deployed its workers to clean the depots as well, the officials said.
Though there were some initial issues related to coordinating the work, those were sorted out. At present, all buses leaving the depots exit only after getting cleaned and spraying of disinfectants. And, after every trip, the workers disinfect the buses, the officials said.
Likewise, at bus stops, Corporation workers supervised by the sanitary supervisors, inspectors and zonal sanitary officers clean the shelters every half-an-hour or so. At important bus stops, they also spray disinfectants on tyres, footboards and handrails.
To spray the disinfectants inside and outside buses, the Corporation was using the automated sprayers that it brought to spray larvicide to combat dengue, Corporation Commissioner Sravan Kumar Jatavath said.
“The powerful machines that the civic body bought for each of the five zones have come in handy now. That the machines are vehicle mounted is another advantage.”
The Corporation had also set up mobile medical teams at its offices and a few government establishments, railway station, integrated court complex and a few other places to screen visitors, commuters for high body temperature. It had also set up makeshift hand wash facilities at its offices and a few tax collection centres, said the officials.
‘Pay tax online’
Commissioner Mr. Jatavath said tax payers who were yet to pay property tax or water charges could use the online facility to pay from their houses.
He further said that the Corporation had also appealed to residents in apartments, gated communities and welfare societies to avoid using their club houses as that was the next place that residents get together after being advised to restrict going out. The officials said that the Corporation would ask contractors executing its projects to educate their workers and provide safety equipment. With most of the workers coming from north Indian states and they speaking languages other than Tamil, the civic body had asked the contractors to take care of the labourers.
