Moths and the pests reportedly getting multiplied in food grains stored in Food Corporation of India godown at Third Mile here have started swarming the houses in nearby residential areas and give sleepless nights, say residents.
The P and T Colony and Asirvatham Nagar East Residents’ Welfare Association, which fall under ward 15 of Thoothukudi Municipal Corporation, submitted a petition to the Collector recently detailing the problems they face from the pests invading their houses round-the-clock.
“The problem worsens from dusk as the moths and pests, attracted by the lights switched on, enter the houses and traumatise us. We cannot even eat peacefully as the flying moths would fall in the food and the tiny pests would enter the nose or ears at night. We firmly believe that the failure on the part of Food Corporation of India godown administration in taking due control measures to destroy the pests and moths has resulted in these issues,” said K.S. Arjunan, president of the Association and Thoothukudi district secretary of CPI (M), who submitted the petition to the Collector.
He said residents of Asirvatham Nagar, Indra Nagar, Thiru.Vi.Ka. Nagar, Shankar Colony, P and T Colony and the adjoining areas were facing the problem.
“Since the pests and moths bite children, they suffer a lot due to irritation and allergy. The flying insects fall in the eyes of bike riders at night and give unbearable and prolonged irritation, which often require ophthalmologists’ intervention. If proper preventive measures such as proper periodic fumigation is done without fail at the storage points of the FCI godown, the moths and pests would not have multiplied,” said Mr. Arjunan.
When the affected residents petitioned Corporation’s Health Department officials, they visited the FCI godown and the nearby residential colonies a few weeks ago and found that the complaints made by the public were true.
A health official said, “We can issue only notice to the FCI, demanding preventive measures to check the production of moths on their premises where the stored food grains provide favourable conditions for its multiplication.”
An official at the FCI godown at Third Mile said as per the standard operating procedure, they were conducting fumigation at regular intervals, including the pre-monsoon period. The next fumigation is scheduled for June 30.
“We’ve put in place a comprehensive and proven pest management and good storage practices on our premises. One can see for onseself the precautionary measures we have put in place to control pests, which would otherwise cause huge qualitative and quantitative loss to us by destroying the food grains. Above all, most of our staff are living nearby and none of us will allow these problems to haunt us,” he said.
He said more measures would be taken in the days to come to put an end to the problem.
Published - June 22, 2023 06:28 pm IST
