Nagpur: The Department of Solid Waste Management team of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has completed a comprehensive survey of 22,498 open plots, highlighting the magnitude of sanitation issues plaguing Nagpur. Post the survey, NMC has registered 18 FIRs while also serving 775 notices to plot owners. Out of these surveyed plots, 6,831 plots were found littered with garbage with bushes growing all over them.
As many as 2,759 plots reported water accumulation, raising concerns about potential health risks by becoming mosquito breeding grounds even as the city battles with rising dengue and chikungunya cases.
In the 16 days of August, the NMC has reported 692 and 599 dengue and chikungunya cases respectively, of which 29 and 110 patients were declared positive for vector-borne diseases. To address the issue, NMC has issued notices to 775 plot owners for failing to maintain cleanliness. Despite these efforts, only 562 plots were cleaned, reflecting the slow pace of compliance.
NMC’s crackdown on open plot violations resulted in 18 FIRs being filed across the city, and the process to file two more FIRs under the Nehru Nagar zone is in progress. Ashi Nagar Zone witnessed the most significant enforcement action, with 13 FIRs filed due to sanitation breaches. This zone, already grappling with numerous unclean plots and water accumulation issues, has become a focal point for the civic body’s efforts.
In Lakadganj Zone, where water stagnation and garbage problems are prevalent, as many as three FIRs were registered. Meanwhile, Laxmi Nagar zone, Hanuman Nagar zone, and Nehru Nagar zone each saw one FIR being filed as part of the ongoing campaign to enforce cleanliness and public health standards. Owners of these plots were booked under Sections 270, 271, and 272 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with acts likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life.
To combat the water accumulation problem, NMC conducted dewatering operations to drain out stagnant rainwater from 1,495 plots. As part of the larger sanitation drive, fogging and disinfection spraying were carried out on a large scale, covering 13,647 plots, focusing on areas prone to mosquito breeding.
Water accumulation remains a major concern, with the Nehru Nagar zone having the most waterlogged plots (825), followed by Hanuman Nagar Zone (806), and Mangalwari Zone (811). These actions reflect the NMC’s commitment to addressing both sanitation and public health risks in open areas.
