A team of officials attached to the Directorate of Rural Development inspected the ongoing anti-dengue operation and the efforts being taken to avert a possible outbreak in areas bordering Rajapalayam in Virudhunagar district on Friday.
As Rajapalayam witnessed the death of suspected dengue victims recently, the State government launched a massive joint operation by involving various departments in the anti-dengue operation.
A team of Ministers, led by Minister for Public Health C. Vijayabhaskar camped at Rajapalayam for a few days to intensify the work.
Since villages like Devipattinam and Viswanathaperi are situated very close to Rajapalayam, the Directorate of Rural Development officials inspected the work in these places.
Led by K. Baskaran, Director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, the team visited Devipattinam and Viswanathaperi villages in Tirunelveli district. It reviewed the control and preventive measures being taken up by village panchayats against dengue. Mr. Baskaran instructed officials to map the vulnerable areas and execute control measures like source reduction process in water-logged places, cleaning drainages and removing garbage.
Mr. Baskaran told the officials to conduct awareness programmes through tom-tom, local television channels, issue of pamphlets etc. Similar activities should be carried out in unaffected areas by mass cleaning exercises, he said.
Additional Director of Rural Development F. Abdul Razick and Project Director, District Rural Development Agency, H. Vijayakumar accompanied him during the inspection.
Collector M. Karunakaran, who visited Surandai and adjoining areas on Friday, reviewed the anti-dengue operations in these areas.
He asked the officials to conduct fogging activities everyday and remove the garbage dumped in the channels so that water logging could be averted.
