Bandra chawl resident battling cockroaches and centipedes on the premises gets a rude shock when civic body refuses to address his complaint, citing lack of means to deal with the insects
Have cockroaches hijacked your society? Deal with it, because the civic body isn't going to help you. Apparently, its insecticide department doesn't have the equipment to tackle these insects.
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Bandra resident Vijay Rane and the complaint he posted on BMC's official website
Roach encroach
Local activist Vijay Rane, a resident of a chawl in Bandra near St Mary's Church, had on December 15 filed a complaint on Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC's) official website over the growing nuisance of centipedes and cockroaches on the premises; in reply, he got a rude shock.
"MCGM pest control department will not render treatment for centipedes and cockroaches. Insecticides and equipment aren't available..." read the response. Dr Rajan Naringrekar, insecticide officer, said their service was only for vector-borne diseases, like those spread by mosquitoes - dengue and malaria. "We don't provide any services for centipedes and cockroaches..." he added. However, the official public health handbook available on BMC's website has a section for cockroach control. Also, while filing a complaint under the category of pest control, there is an option 'nuisance due to cockroaches'.
"De-cockroaching activity is carried out only in City wards, i.e. A to G. It includes chemical treatment of inspection chambers in selective localities. However, presently, this activity is not carried out by the department," read the handbook.
Carriers of doom
Slamming the BMC, Rane said, "Everyone knows how hazardous cockroaches are for health. It's sad that for lack of equipment the service has been stopped... The poor can't afford to spend on this from their own pocket. If there are services for rats and mosquitoes, then why not for cockroaches and centipedes?" As per the WHO, cockroaches can sometimes be carriers of intestinal diseases, such as diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid fever and cholera.
"Cockroaches are dangerous pests; they spread filth and ruin food, fabrics and book bindings. They disgorge portions of their partially digested food at intervals and drop faeces. They also discharge a nauseous secretion both from their mouths and from gland openings on the body, which give a long-lasting, offensive smell to spots or food visited by them," state the guidelines. Dr Rajendra Patil, a general physician, said, "They carry the eggs of parasitic worms, which cause allergic reactions, including dermatitis, itching, swelling of the eyelids and more serious respiratory conditions."
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