“We have received numerous complaints about the PWD not doing its work and drains getting choked in a number of places. The condition of the police stations is more horrifying — drains are choked causing waterlogging and creating unhygienic conditions conducive for the breeding of mosquito larvae,” said Member Mayor-in-Council (Health) Atin Ghosh.

The KMC has also sent a notice under Section 496 of the KMC Act to the Presidency College principal after receiving repeated complaints from Hindu Hostel boarders about waterlogging and the rampant spread of malaria.

“The PWD has not done anything. Students staying in Hindu Hostel are falling ill and missing classes because of malaria. If nothing is done, the KMC has the right to file a case against the concerned person,” said Ghosh.

He added that since a sizable number of police employees living in the quarters have tested positive for malaria in the past few months, the Commissioner of Police has been sent the letter with the clear message that police stations should be cleaned as soon as possible.

“We have visited a number of places in different boroughs along with the MMIC and have identified some of them as breeding grounds for mosquitoes. These include Presidency College, Lady Dufferin Hospital, Sambhunath Pandit Hospital, Medical College and Hospital, NRS Hospital, Chittaranjan Seba Sadan and Sishu Sadan and almost all police stations across the city, with special emphasis on the Amherst Street Police station,” said KMC Medical Officer in Charge of Vector-Borne Diseases Debashis Biswas.

“If they (the police and PWD) need our help in this regard, we will certainly do the needful. But we can’t be mute spectators to a situation in which the health of our citizens is at stake,” he said.