PMC asks health inspectors to explain Kothrud fogging done at wrong hours amid dengue surge

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has demanded written explanations from its health inspectors after staff carried out mosquito fogging in parts of Kothrud well outside the hours the civic body itself has laid down. The lapse has surfaced at a time when dengue cases continue to be reported across Pune, and it was brought to light on November 4, 2026.

According to residents, health department workers were seen fogging from a vehicle on Tuesday, November 3, between 11 am and 12 noon. The areas affected were Rambaug, LIC Colony, Girija Society and the stretch around More Vidyalaya. PMC's schedule permits fogging in residential localities only from 7 am to 10 am and from 5 pm to 8 pm.

Residents confronted the workers on the spot about the timing. They then took their complaint straight to Additional Municipal Commissioner Pavneet Kaur. The administration stepped in and the fogging was halted. Both the staff involved and the health inspectors responsible have now been asked for written replies. Some workers are also alleged to have ignored the prescribed method of fogging.

PMC Assistant Health Officer Dr Rajesh Dighe said timing is not a minor matter. "The main purpose of fogging is to kill adult mosquitoes. In the morning, larvicidal and ovicidal chemicals are sprayed to destroy larvae and eggs. But fogging meant to kill adult mosquitoes should be done in the areas concerned either in the morning or in the evening only."

Dr Dighe added that once a dengue case is found, spraying is carried out inside the patient's home and in the area around it. He said: "There are written government guidelines for these procedures and staff have been trained accordingly. However, in slum areas, where houses are close against one another, fogging is done in the spaces between houses and on the roads."

The slip is particularly awkward because PMC had already curtailed fogging. Routine citywide fogging was stopped, and teams were told to work mainly in places where dengue cases had turned up. On October 23, officials instructed staff not to fog open spaces without need, and to fog for 20 minutes inside the patient's house and the enclosed areas next to it.

Health Department head Dr Nina Borade said PMC recorded 2,291 dengue cases from January 1 to October 20 this year. The tally had earlier stood at 2,413, but 122 duplicate entries were removed when the records were re-checked. September was the worst month, with 662 cases. Two dengue deaths were recorded in October: a girl from Lohegaon and an elderly woman from Gokhalenagar. Kaur said the girl also had other illnesses.

PMC's response to the outbreak was questioned in October at a Standing Committee meeting, where members pointed to a shortage of fogging and gaps in the data on patients. Kaur subsequently called an emergency meeting of health officials and asked them for a detailed report within a week.