Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) have imposed fines on four government institutions Tk5,00,000 each, during anti-dengue drives aimed at controlling the spread of Aedes mosquitoes. Mobile courts run by the DNCC collected fines amounting to Tk20,00,000 on Monday's drive.
The four buildings are Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources Corporation (Petrobangla), Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), Jamuna Oil building under construction and Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation (BTMC).
Aedes mosquito larvae are found in the basement of these buildings.
DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam was present during an anti-mosquito campaign in the Kawran Bazar area under DNCC on Monday when the fine was imposed. Executive Magistrate Md Motakabbir Ahmed collected the fine on behalf of DNCC.
During the campaign, mosquito larvae was discovered at Jahangir Tower in Kawran Bazar around 11am. However, the building authorities had locked the office room and were not present at the time.
Mayor Atiqul Islam took action by installing another lock while the room was already locked. He also instructed the building authorities to pay a fine of Tk5,00,000 for the violation.
Mayor Atiqul Islam expressed disappointment upon discovering Aedes mosquito larvae in government institutions. Despite conducting meetings with these institutions and receiving assurances of their commitment to fulfilling their responsibilities, Mayor Atiqul Islam described their actions as mere lip service.
He highlighted that if they truly fulfilled their responsibilities, the presence of mosquitoes and larvae would not persist within government institutions.
Regarding the matter, Mayor Atiqul Islam said: “Petrobangla had been fined Tk5,00,000 as a consequence of their negligence.”
Such penalties could have been avoided if the institutions had taken basic measures, such as using bleaching powder, he added.
Mayor Atiqul Islam called upon all individuals to assume responsibility for eradicating mosquito breeding sites, emphasizing that this responsibility should not solely rest on the city corporation.
He urged everyone to actively participate in resolving the issue, underscoring that the responsibility for maintaining a mosquito-free environment lies with each and every citizen in the city.
In this month-long operation, regional executive officers and executive magistrates will jointly conduct operations in 10 regions of DNCC on a daily basis.
