Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation will seek the help of cops if their teams face resistance from residents in allowing them to enter their houses during a door-to-door campaign to identify if people have dengue or malaria.
An official of the civic body’s health department said the corporation would take the help of personnel from local police stations in places like Salt Lake, Kestopur and Baguiati.
According to a senior official, there have been instances when residents of these areas have refused to let health workers enter their houses to identify places where there might be stagnant pools of freshwater. “There have been instances of people slamming their doors shut after members of the survey teams identified themselves,” the official said.
Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation will conduct this survey in all 41 wards.
If mosquito larvae are found inside a house’s rooftop or driveway then the civic teams will paste notices on the boundary walls and gates.
The campaign will focus on the wards from where the maximum cases are being reported. A health official said the cases were on the rise since October 1 and till Friday, it stood at 185.
According to the official, six specialised teams have been formed for the campaign.
Apart from the teams conducting the survey, there will be separate teams comprising conservancy workers and vector control members that will both clean up the areas as well as spray larvicide.
Pranay Kumar Ray, a member of the civic body’s board of administrators incharge of health said, they wanted to ensure that residents also take up a cleanliness drive. “We have found several houses in Baguiati where there was garbage dumped inside and stagnant pools had formed. We will give the residents a three-day window to clean up.”
Fever clinics also will be conducted, Ray added.
The Telegraph had reported on Friday about the spike in dengue cases in Lake Town, Baguihati Dum Dum and Salt Lake.
An official of the South Dum Dum and Dum Dum Municipalities said they were focusing on clean up drives and spraying of larvicide in a bid to bring down the rapid rise in the number of cases.
