Chennai Collects Rs 40 Lakh Fine from Institutions as Dengue Cases Show Steep Rise

Days after S Nakshatra, a four-year-old youngster died of dengue at Vellore's Christian Medical college, three houses were each fined Rs 500 for allowing mosquitoes to breed in their vicinities.

On Wednesday, the school in which S Nakshatra was studying, was fined a whopping Rs 1 lakh, reported New Indian Express.

Officials who were inspecting the schools in Coimbatore said a few institutions were not maintaining their premises and that the schools were warned that teachers will be suspended immediately if they fail to keep premises clean. The report stated that the DPH and the Chennai Corporation have collected Rs 40 lakh fine from institutions so far.

The state has seen a record 3,400 cases of dengue being reported since January, with 685 cases alone being reported across the state since September, the report added. With at least four dengue deaths around Chennai and Vellore, district administrations have swung into action to deal with the outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease.

On Thursday, the Greater Chennai Corporation slapped Re 1 lakh fine on the Integral Coach Factory for failing to curb mosquito breeding in its premises. The inspection, according to sources to the New Indian Express, came after three contract workers tested positive for the disease.

Tiruvallur district administration too imposed Rs 10,000 fine on Chennai division of Southern Railway, the report said.

Director of School Education S Kannappan has, on his part, once again emphasised on the guidelines issued for schools and asked managements to ensure that there is no water stagnation in the campus. A school circular has identified breeding grounds for aedes mosquito as being cement tanks, buckets, water drums, tanks, broken containers and stagnant water near construction sites.

The report cited a circular sent by the Chief Educational Officer R Murugan which said that the school headmasters must ensure the safety of students from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the school premises. The circular added that students should be given tips about washing their hands properly before eating and should be made aware about the prevention of dengue fever.

Further, the circular added that teachers should inform parents if the students have fever symptoms and teachers should also take the students to nearby hospitals, apart from informing health department about fever affected students.