Snake bites to boat mishaps, Uttar Pradesh expands disaster relief list
With the Yogi Adityanath government expanding the eligibility for compensation through the State Disaster Relief Fund, victims of man-animal conflict, snake bites, boat mishaps and choking due to sewage cleaning or gas leakage will now be eligible for financial assistance in Uttar Pradesh.
“The families of people who die in such tragedies will now get Rs 4 lakh,” said state relief commissioner Sanjay Kumar.
Mrityunjay Kumar, principal secretary to the chief minister, said Adityanath was disturbed by the large number of people falling victim to snake bites and house collapses in the monsoon. “The decision is meant to help the needy. A policy will now be in place for assistance under various heads,” he added.
The government has already issued a notification in this regard.
Till now, only those injured, dead or financially hit due to rain, lightning strikes, storms, floods, earthquakes, heat wave and other natural phenomena were covered under the State Disaster Relief Fund. “The norms for providing aid to victims in these newly included tragedies will be the same as those for other notified natural disasters. The scale of relief assistance will not exceed the norms of the State Disaster Relief Fund,” said Kumar.
Chief conservator of forests Ramesh Pandey said Uttar Pradesh has finally become a state where equal importance is given to human and animal lives. “Man-animal conflicts will now be treated as state disasters, and the entire government machinery will be deployed to tackle it,” he added.
Dr Sam Meesum, a senior medical officer who trains health workers to handle snake bite cases at 20 community health centres across the state, said five to ten snake-bite cases are reported from each such unit every month during the monsoon.
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
