Dengue control: Vellore collector slams Rs 1.10 lakh fine on unclean premises

VELLORE: The Vellore district collector Mr C.A. Raman on Monday imposed spot fines to the tune of Rs 1.10 lakh on two establishments including a food processing unit and a higher secondary school for keeping their premises unclean, as the district administration intensified its dengue control activities all over in public interest.

Inspecting various premises here as part of the anti-dengue drive and checking for violations of public health norms, Mr. Raman found at a private food processing unit that all sorts of unwanted rubbish including plastic bottles and old tyres had been dumped at the rear portion of the factory.

Following the recent rains, they turned ready receptacles for breeding of dengue-causing mosquitoes, and the collector on noticing swarms of the larve in those containers hauled up the unit's owners for negligence and imposed a fine of Rs. one lakh on the spot.

Similarly, at a private Matriculation Higher Secondary School at Ammur, the collector found pools of stagnant rainwater at its premises supporting the breeding of mosquitoes and slammed a fine of Rs.10, 000 on the school authorities.

Mr. Raman, who was accompanied by the district Health and Revenue department officials during the inspections today, later took a look at several housing colonies in Ammur town panchayat, an official release here said. An anti-dengue awareness pledge was administered to the staff and students at the Mohammed Ismail Madraasa Higher Secondary School at Ismail Nagar in Ammur, the official release added.