As cases of dengue continue to rise in the city, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) on Wednesday used a drone to spray anti-larval medicine. Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal said the pilot project was carried out in an area behind Yamuna Bank metro station.
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He said the drone has a capacity to carry 10-12 litres of anti-larval medicine and can cover a distance of up to three km. “If this initiative shows good results, then we plan to deploy drones in multiple areas which are hard to access. Drones have a good battery life and the medicine can be refilled according to the need,” Mr. Aggarwal said.
Whether it is dengue or air pollution, the Mayor said, the Delhi Government has not done much to contain them.
As many as 17 councillors were suspended on Wednesday after they created a ruckus despite multiple warnings at the civic body’s monthly house meeting.
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“The 17 councillors consist of nine from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and eight nominated members. We tabled discussions on air pollution and dengue but these councillors wanted to discuss dengue first. They made several attempts to disrupt the proceedings and even a scuffle broke out,” Mr. Aggarwal said.
However, Leader of Opposition Manoj Tyagi (AAP) gave a different reason for the suspension.
“Bharatiya Janata Party councillor Ram Raj Tiwari used derogatory language against women members in the meeting following which we demanded his suspension. There was a disagreement over the subject of discussion as we wanted to start with dengue but the Mayor took up the issue of air pollution instead. But we were suspended for demanding the suspension of Mr. Tiwari,” he said.
Mr. Aggarwal, however, denied the allegations and said that the councillors would remain suspended for 15 days.