Vacant plots become mosquito breeding places

Nellore: Many vacant plots in the city are turning out to be mosquito breeding centres due to unhygienic conditions prevailed there. The winter season coupled with the intermittent rains also add more woes to the problem.

Mosquito menace is increased in many colonies due to negligence by officials and local residents. Th civic officials have warned owners of the sites to clean them and avoid water stagnation. The city has been expanding with small-scale industries, thermal plants, and manufacturing units.

The vacant spaces at many places in the city are becoming dumping yards where domestic waste is being thrown. Coconut shells, worn-out tyres, broken bottles, bulbs, and many others are thrown on to the places. Huge bushes have grown up in many vacant plots.

People are preferring to dump waste in the vacant spaces in some areas because of poor visits to the sanitation staff members and owners. Owners of the open plots are also not maintaining them properly to maintain hygienic conditions. There are vacant plots in posh areas like Magunta Layout which are not maintained properly. Around 20 years ago, many people invested money on the sites, and they had failed to upkeep them.

The Commissioner of the civic body recently directed the officials to serve notices to the owners of such vacant plots in the city for clearing bushes and other garbage.

"Majority vacant sites are located in Magunta layout, Iskcon city, Irukalalamma Sangam, Kothur, CB Nagar, Ayyappa Temple area and KPHB colony,'' said TP Sastry, a retired employee from Podalakur Road area.