Deserted BHEL quarters too breeding ground for mosquitoes

BHOPAL: Deemed the greenest and cleanest area of city, as many as 1,600 abandoned old quarters in BHEL Township is posing a health hazard to residents in the state capital. Like the vacant government quarters at South TT Nagar, these BHEL quarters have turned to be a breeding ground for mosquitoes that cause dengue.
Located in Govindpura, Barkhera E-Sector, Piplani and near Khajuri Kalan, these deserted quarters have often been said to be a safe hideout for anti-socials.
Meanwhile, considering the seriousness of the issue BHEL management has decided to demolish the old dilapidated quarters after monsoons. According to an official spokesperson of BHEL Bhopal unit land would be utilized for plantations as there is no proposal for any construction activity.
Ramesh Sahu a resident of Govindpura said threat of vector-borne disease spread is always there as these abandoned houses have become garbage dumps. These structures need to be demolished at the earliest, he said.
Vinodanand Jha, senior manager, public relations BHEL told TOI, "These quarters are lying vacant for the last four to five years. We will demolish them by the end of September."
He said many of them have already been demolished. On being asked about such large houses remaining vacant, he said, "Earlier we had staff strength of more than 20,000 that have gone down to about 7,400 presently. There was pressure for houses from staff in the past but now the situation is no more the same."
"It is true there were some incidents relating to law and order in these deserted quarters but after we started maintaining a strict vigil over these quarters the issue have been addressed to a certain extent. We have special security personnel patrolling around the quarters during the night and also we have requested Govindpura police station for help," Jha added.