NDMC gains access to 12 diplomatic missions; will check mosquito breeding due to severe health crisis

Due to severe health crisis engulfing the city, nearly 12 high-security diplomatic missions has been asked to provide municipal officials access to  their premises for checking mosquito-breeding. 

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) which has formed a task force to inspect various areas and spot mosquito-breeding, has also helped the embassies with fumigation in their premises. 

As a precautionary measure, the civic body had written to embassies, requesting them to provide access to its staff for inspecting their premises. 

"We had written to all embassies, foreign missions, chanceries and residences of ambassadors, requesting them to let our staff inspect their premises and check for mosquito-breeding. 12 of them have provided us access for inspection and remedial measures," RN Singh, Chief Medical Officer of NDMC told PTI. 

The missions which have got the inspection and fumigation done include Pakistan High Commission, Embassies of Nepal, Sri Lanka, Serbia, China, Bangladesh, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Ethopia. 

The council staff inspects all buildings in NDMC areas every year to check mosquito-breeding. Notices are issued in the first phase and the defaulters are asked to reply within a week about the measures taken by them to check it. 

However, if in the second phase breeding is still found in their premises, NDMC issues challans to such violators. 

As foreign diplomatic missions are not bound by law to allow the officials to check breeding, NDMC does not have any authority to issue any challan or notice to them. It can only help them with remedial measures. 

"We do not have the authority to issue any challan or notice to the embassies or foreign missions but once we detect such conditions, we send our staff to take all remedial measures there including fumigation and destruction of larvae," Singh said.