Published : 10 Jul 2023, 02:20 PM
Updated : 10 Jul 2023, 04:24 PM
A mobile court has discovered breeding grounds of dengue-carrying Aedes mosquitoes on the premises of state-owned companies Petrobangla, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation (BTMC) and Jamuna Oil.
Consequently, the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) imposed a fine of Tk 500,000 on each of the companies amid an alarming outbreak of the dengue virus.
The mobile court, led by Dhaka North Mayor Atiqul Islam, conducted an anti-dengue campaign in Karwan Bazar on Monday.
During the inspection, authorities found Aedes mosquito larvae in water accumulated in the basement drain of the Petrobangla building.
The mobile court subsequently moved to the nearby construction site of Jamuna Oil and discovered a pool of water containing mosquito larvae in an empty space designated for the building's lifts.
Mosquito breeding sites were also identified in the TCB and BTMC buildings.
"Dengue is spreading all over the country, and its prevalence has increased in Dhaka as well. Under these circumstances, it's disheartening to find Aedes mosquito larvae in important government facilities," expressed Mayor Atiqul.
Zanendra Nath Sarker, chairman of Petrobangla, pledged to take action against the building's cleaning staff over the presence of mosquito breeding sites.
"We regularly clean the premises. Nevertheless, we will investigate how this happened. It could be due to negligence on the part of those in charge of cleaning. Appropriate action will be taken against them."
