Destroying mosquitoes

THE government's decision to form a high-powered committee to handle the mosquito problem in the city, on an emergency basis, is indeed a vigorous attempt to bring relief to citizens. The Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives has taken the initiative to add steam to DCC's flagging anti-mosquito drive.

The minister's point is not hard to see, since the runaway growth of mosquito population can easily be felt by an overwhelming majority of citizens. They can also feel, to their utter disgust, that the DCC is not doing enough to eliminate the menace. However, the plan of scoring a decisive victory-- through adopting a two-pronged strategy of cleaning the city and launching a powerful attack on mosquitoes-- in just 15 days might not sound convincing, particularly because such crash programmes produced very little in the past. However, it is equally true that the DCC must do something to destroy mosquitoes, and also give the city a better look by introducing a scientific garbage disposal system.

The city mayor, however, has given a long list of constraints that make it difficult for the DCC to function smoothly. It is interesting to note that the LGRD state minister, a member of the high-powered committee, does not share the mayor's pessimism. The state minister seems to believe that the DCC has adequate manpower to operate effectively. Whoever might have been closer to the truth, it hardly needs saying that the DCC has to perform its job of killing mosquitoes and keeping the city clean.

The question of cleanliness has never been treated with due seriousness. Else, the DCC scavengers and garbage lorries would not have operated in broad daylight. It is a matter of regret that even after so many years, the DCC men cause great inconvenience to people either by failing to clear roadside garbage in time, or by operating during the busy hours of the day.

It is not unusual that an organisation will find itself not equipped with everything it needs, to finish a particular job within a stipulated period of time. But what people expect is that it will at least make some sincere efforts to eliminate mosquitoes, which cannot be treated as a minor irritant. We hope the latest plan of destroying mosquitoes will not get lost in the labyrinth of bureaucracy like so many other good ideas did in the past.