Homing in on rodents: MC, UT officials spar but don’t smell a rat

Mice and rats seem to have found a comfortable home next to the underground pipelines as well as some markets in the city. While the presence of rodents is more pronounced at the markets where eatables are sold, other places are also not out of reach of these creatures. And the officials of the Municipal Corporation and UT Administration are passing the buck, with both the departments claiming that rodents are not in their "jurisdiction".

The issue was recently highlighted by councillor Harjinder Kaur. She says the presence of rodents is becoming a problem for her ward that comprises Sectors 34, 35 and 44. In Sector 35 that has a large number of hotels, mice are thriving due to the presence of discarded food items.

"The garbage thrown by the hotels and restaurants ensures that the mice thrive in the area. There needs to be proper disposal of the waste. There have been instances when underground cables have been damaged by the rodents," she adds.

The councillor says if some action is not taken at the earliest, it could lead to spread of diseases. Eventually, rodents would enter residential areas through the sewerage pipelines.

The mice have dug their burrows at markets. Even the space where paver blocks become loose is not spared. Apart from eatables, these are nibbling at every kind of material, whether it is packing of articles or wires.

Councillor Rajesh Gupta says even his business of selling second-hand cars is at times affected by these rodents. "The mice are huge in size. At times, they enter the bonnet of cars and nibble at the wires, damaging our cars. Their presence at the markets is quite pronounced. There is a need for action to be taken at the earliest."

However, the UT Administration and Municipal Corporation are busy passing the buck over the issue. The incharge of the Pest Control Wing of the MC, Chitwarkar, says that dealing with mice is in the jurisdiction of the Malaria Wing of the Administration, and not the Municipal Corporation.

... contd.

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