Amol Balawadkar carries fumigation machine, arrives in Pune Municipal Corporation; wakes up civic administration ‘pretending to be sleeping’ (Video)
Demands concrete steps to check dengue, chikungunya, zika and malaria
Pune: Dengue, chikungunya, zika and malaria are spreading fast in the city. The number of patients is increasing in areas such as Kothrud. However, the civic administration is not taking proper care to stop them from spreading.
Therefore, former Corporator Amol Balwadkar himself carried a fumigation machine and landed at the Palika Bhawan (Pune Municipal Corporation – PMC building) to wake up the administration, which is ‘pretending to be sleeping’. He staged a novel agitation by fumigating the premises of the Bhavan and tried to bring the issue to the attention of civic officials.
Angry Balwadkar said, “At least now, the administration should wake up and take care of citizens’ health.”
Vector-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria, zika and chikungunya have been increasing for the past one month in the Kothrud area. The PMC is not taking proper measures to stop their spread. Therefore, Balwadkar met PMC Health Department Chief Dr Nina Borade on Monday (September 9). He discussed the inconvenience caused to patients in health services. Earlier, he condemned the civic neglect of the issue by fumigating the premises of the PMC building.
The PMC’s Health Department checks citizens. However, it does not take measures to stop diseases. Hence, infectious diseases are spreading far and wide in housing societies, individual houses and housing complexes.
Amol Balwadkar said, “The Health Department merely undertakes checking and issues notices. But it takes no concrete steps to stop their spread or provide timely treatment to citizens. There is at least one patient in each household in Kothrud, Pashan and Baner areas.
“Family members have to visit clinics frequently to seek treatment for members. But they do not get treatment in time. There is not a single municipal hospital in the Kothrud area. Therefore, citizens have to visit private doctors, which is not affordable. I have requested the PMC many times to open the newly constructed municipal hospital, which has not been done.
“I fumigated the PMC premises to bring to their notice serious health issues citizens are facing. This should convey the outrage of citizens to the administration.”
Members of the Amol Balwadkar Foundation and residents from the locality were present in a large number.
QUOTE
Vector-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria, zika, and chikungunya have been spreading rapidly in the Kothrud area. Many patients are complaining that they are not getting treatment. I have borne expenses of fumigating many housing societies, individual houses and commercial establishments in the area. Many people call us up to get their areas fumigated. The civic administration should take seriously the rising number of patients and non-availability of treatment and subsequent hardships caused to citizens.” – Amol Balwadkar, ex-Corporator, BJP worker & President, Amol Balwadkar Foundation, Kothrud
