Kolkata’s dengue prevention campaign has shifted towards stricter enforcement, with Municipal and Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Pal warning that residents could face hefty fines for improper waste disposal and sanitation lapses ahead of the festive season.
Pal issued the warning during a public awareness drive on Monday, accompanied by Kolkata Municipal Corporation Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey. The minister questioned why residents were leaving household waste at neighbourhood junctions instead of handing it to sanitation workers who visit homes each morning at 6am.
According to the report by Bartaman Patrika, Pal said such waste disposal practices could increase the risk of dengue. She urged residents to remain cautious and stressed that mosquitoes do not distinguish between households when spreading disease. The report did not specify the amount of the proposed penalty or when enforcement would begin.
The minister’s warning comes before the period when dengue concerns traditionally rise across West Bengal ahead of the festive season. The civic message links mosquito-breeding risks not only to municipal cleaning operations but also to how households store and dispose of waste.
Pandey said residents and the civic administration would need to work together to keep neighbourhoods clean. She also clarified that the corporation would not clean the inside of private homes, placing responsibility for household cleanliness on residents.
The remarks underline a division of responsibility that often shapes urban disease-control efforts: municipal workers manage public sanitation services, while residents must maintain private premises and use designated waste-collection arrangements. The report provides no details of a new enforcement order, inspection schedule or penalty framework. For now, the stated next step is intensified awareness activity alongside the minister’s warning of stricter financial penalties.
