Mumbai: BJP Member of the Parliament (MP) Poonam Mahajan from Mumbai North Central constituency roped in her party workers and carried out the disinfection of 82 housing societies in the posh Pali Hill area of Bandra, even as a BMC advisory had prohibited private disinfection activities. The MP had also carried out such disinfection last week in big societies in Powai.
On Thursday, the third day of the disinfection drive by her in Pali Hill, 35 party workers with spraying equipment carrying her photograph were seen going about their work. Among the societies disinfected in Pali Hill were that of lyricist Gulzar, actors Sanjay Dutt, Aamir Khan, and Sohail Khan and the bungalow of actor Dilip Kumar.
The civic body had only a few days back come out with an advisory in which it had warned against private individuals carrying out disinfection work in housing societies or elected representatives getting it done on the request of the residents of their constituencies. The civic body’s mayor had appealed in a special release dated March 31 insisting that the spraying of Sodium Hypochloride is dangerous.
The BMC is carrying out disinfection in hospitals, public toilets as well as in societies, where Coronavirus positive patients reside. The release said, “Without having any technical knowledge and without knowing the proportion in which the chemical is to be diluted and the areas where it should be sprayed, if in a wrong manner the work is done, the residents who live around the area may have to suffer serious implications due to it,” it said.
It added that, therefore, such spraying should be done only where essential and using the BMC’s equipment, as advised by the Fire Chief during the meeting.
The release had also mentioned that the civic body’s insecticide department officials have warned against additional use of Sodium Hypochloride, as it is injurious to residents’ health. A senior official of the Mumbai Fire Brigade, who did not want to be named, said, “Some politicians are making indiscriminate use of disinfectants. Direct contact with Sodium Hypochloride without using proper protective gear can cause burning in the eyes and throat and itching sensation.
The use has to be scientific.” Inside buildings the work has to be under supervision of BMC’s insecticide department officials and outside and nearby areas by Fire department staff, he added. While Poonam Mahajan was not available for comment, her personal secretary said that they have taken adequate care and advise from specialists before doing the work. The spraying was, however, done by ‘karyakartas’ he said on the request of Pali Hill Residents Association.
The Association's chairperson Madhu Poplai said that the association had indeed requested for the work and that she had received a letter from Poonam Mahajan, which said that the sanitization is being done using a Fire Brigade approved chemical agent. She said the chemical agent used was indeed Sodium Hypochloride.
“I had asked Ms Mahajan whether there are requisite permissions. We did it only after we received the letter. I won’t do anything that will endanger the life of any human being. I have been the chairperson of the association for 23 years,” said Poplai.
