Although the health department is not officially revealing its plan as of now, officials said decoy customers would be sent to find out the truth about the activities in the sonography clinics. "Decoy customers are being readied to bring forth the reality in the working of these clinics," officials said. When contacted, PCMC health director Dr Rajshekhar Iyer however said getting a decoy customer is a task in itself. "Pregnant women generally loath the idea of getting involved in any such work. Nothing has been finalised yet, but we might seek the help of women's self-helps."

In all, there are 86 sonography clinics which mushrooomed from 2001. So far, PCMC has filed a case against one sonography centre. The matter is sub judice. Health officials said complaints have been received that many of them indulge in revealing sex of the foetus for amount ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000. "A female child becomes victims of such tests."

Dr Iyer said a number of steps are being initiated to bring about a turnaround in the child sex ratio in town. "Instead of annual meetings with those who run sonography clinics, we will be holding regular meetings to drive home the point," he said. The health department has also decided to launch an advertisement campaign to save the girl child. "We have already put up posters highlighting the need to save the girl child," he said, adding that the campaign would now move to main streets and chowks in town. "Instead of roping in star campaigners, we will use local residents to highlight the point," he said.

Dr Kamal Yadav, in-charge of PCMC's National Health Programmes, said there was no doubt that female foeticide was taking place on large-scale in town. "But we are not able to know when and where these are taking place," she said. Dr Yadav said for every 1000 male children, there are 917 female children in Maharashtra. And in the country, the female-male ratio is 927 to 1000. But, in Pimpri-Chinchwad the situation is worse.