KANPUR: The fogging has never been done in this newly inhabited Cantonment area. Being a locality surrounded with tanneries the menace of mosquitoes prevails throughout the year. It was a chanced experience by the residents on one sunny afternoon that they saw a fogging machine in the locality. It was actually a fluky fogging in the locality close to the main VIP road.
The residents have seldom experienced any cleanliness drive in the locality. The lane drains along both sides of the pathway, most of the time remain completely clogged, inviting breeding of the mosquitoes. The movement of the vehicles was never scant in the lane during the daytime. The lane’s path still required laying of the cemented tiles as its entrance finds no covering up to a certain distance.
One day some incredible sight was visible in this locality which had not occurred earlier. It was a surprising sight for children as they were not familiar with the fogging machine. They looked at the moving motor with keen interest as if it were any celestial phenomenon. It was definitely happening in their small life firstly. By the hoarse sound of the vehicle running at a certain speed, the locality's women also started looking at the sudden rising smoke with an amusing stare.
One little boy called another saying come and see this. He exactly used the word ‘macchharwala aaya hai’(fogging machine). Whosoever noticed the smoke emitting motor through the large pipe on a small open vehicle could not escape one's vision. Though everyone was approving the civic body’s action, nobody was able to believe at this earthly fact. How had this become possible? What was never seen in the past several years was happening now?
Their curiosity led them to know details about this happening. It was later learnt that the vehicle’s driver entered the lane mistakenly. He supposedly thought that the lane might take him to another way on a short route but he had to turn back after learning of lane's closure at another end. When he came near the lane's end he enquired in confusion, “Was there no way out?” The people replied in the negative. He was crestfallen.
While going back he closed the motor spitting bad smelling smoke but fruitful in killing stinging flies. Despite people’s insistence to continue smoking, the driver rejected their humble request for reasons known to him.
For residents, civic amenities have always mattered more than their normal style of living. The mosquitoes and the stray animals’ menace were their worst worries. But the civic authorities seem to show an indifferent attitude.
