The Pune Municipal Corporation has sought reports from health inspectors after fogging was carried out outside prescribed timings in Kothrud, as dengue cases continue to increase in the city. The operation was stopped after residents complained to PMC Additional Commissioner Pavneet Kaur on November 3.
PMC employees were seen using a fogging vehicle between 11 am and noon in Rambaug, LIC Colony, Girija Society and the More Vidyalaya areas of Kothrud. Residents questioned the employees about the timing of the operation and subsequently submitted a complaint to the civic administration.
Following the complaint, PMC intervened and stopped the fogging operation. The administration has now asked the concerned employees and health inspectors to submit explanations and reports on the incident. The report does not state when the responses will be submitted or what disciplinary action, if any, may follow.
The PMC Health Department has been conducting mosquito-control operations across Pune, but routine fogging has been restricted. The civic body now primarily carries out fogging in areas where dengue cases have been detected. Under the prescribed schedule cited by PMC, fogging in residential areas should take place between 7 am and 10 am or between 5 pm and 8 pm.
PMC Assistant Health Officer Dr Rajesh Dighe said the timing and method of spraying depend on the mosquito-control objective. According to Dighe, larvicidal and ovicidal chemicals are applied during morning hours to destroy mosquito larvae and eggs, while fogging aimed at eliminating adult mosquitoes must be conducted in the morning or evening.
Dighe said that when a dengue case is detected, spraying is carried out inside the patient’s home and in surrounding areas. He added that written government guidelines govern the process and that staff members have been trained to follow them. In densely occupied slum areas, however, fogging may be conducted in spaces between houses and on roads, he said.
The Kothrud incident places attention on the operational gap between Pune’s dengue-control protocols and their implementation on the ground. While the PMC has restricted fogging to targeted areas, the administration’s report is expected to establish why the operation took place during unauthorised hours and whether the prescribed procedure was followed. The civic body’s next step is to review the explanations and reports from the staff and health inspectors concerned.
