Himachal Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh Thakur on Tuesday presided over a high level meeting of senior officers of various departments to check jaundice outbreak.
Thakur expressed satisfaction that Health, Irrigation and Public Health, Urban Development and Town and Country Planning Departments and Municipal Corporation were working in close coordination due to which number of jaundice cases in Shimla city had been come down considerably from February 15.
He said that the jaundice cases in Solan city would come down within next 10-15 days. He directed the officers of I&PH, MC and Pollution Control Board for collecting regular samples of water from the sources. The minister said that the government had made compulsory to take sewerage connection in Shimla city as a precautionary measure besides taking strict vigil on leakage from sewerage tanks and lines. He directed the concerned departments to disconnect electric and water connections of the defaulters.
The Health Minister said that the capacity of water ATM at Vikasnagar had been increased to 2000 litres for the benefit of different localites. He said that laboratory would be set up at IGMC for water testing and a working schedule has been chalked out for the restoration and improvement of all the sewerage treatment plants and accordingly the STP at Malyana and Dhalli would be made ready for handing over to the contractor by the end of this month besides STP at Summer Hill would be ready by first week of next month.
Additional Chief Secretary Health Vineet Chaudhary gave details of the steps being undertaken by the line departments to control jaundice. Secretary, Irrigation and Public Health Anuradha Thakur apprised that adequate steps had been taken to supply sufficient water to Shimla town for which additional supply would be made from Chair, Gumma and Giri. She said that gaseous chlorination plants would be installed at Dhalli, Craignano and Bakhelti.
Commissioner Municipal Corporation Shimla, Pankaj Rai said super chlorination on all the 41 tanks in the city had been ensured besides directions had been issued to clean all private water tanks. He said that awareness camps had been organized at jaundice affected areas. He said that the Corporation had made compulsory to clean water tanks twice in a year for which special helpline 1916 had been started for taking the services of plumbers.
Mayor MC Shimla Sanjay Chauhan and Deputy Mayor Tikender Panwar, Deputy Commissioner Solan, Rakesh Kanwar and other senior officers of State Government were also present in the meeting.