Inquiry must be conducted in rat extermination drive in Mumbai: Minister

Mumbai, June 25 Mumbai Suburban District Guardian Minister Ashish Shelar on Wednesday asked the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to conduct an inquiry into the rat control drive undertaken over the past three months in the metropolis.

He observed that despite the BMC’s claim that 2.5 lakh rats were eliminated in Mumbai over the last six months, the figure appears highly questionable.

He gave directives at the review meeting held today regarding the increasing cases of dengue and malaria and the preventive measures in place.

Despite the BMC’s claim of eliminating 2.5 lakh rats over the past six months, official data shows that between June 1 and 21, only 1,741 rats were killed using poison and 2,015 captured through cage traps.

Seventeen NGOs are reportedly deployed across 17 wards for this effort, while cage trapping is managed by BMC personnel. Raising serious concerns over the credibility of these figures, Minister Shelar questioned the legitimacy of the operation.

He asked, “How many rats were exterminated? Where were they disposed of? In how many wards did the operation take place? Was any of it documented or recorded?”

He remarked that he has never witnessed any such large-scale rat extermination in the city, nor seen cages placed in public areas.

Calling the entire operation "highly suspicious," he directed the Additional Commissioner to launch a comprehensive three-month investigation and submit a detailed report at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the release issued by Minister Shelar’s office said: “Between June 1 and June 21, 2025, Mumbai reported 554 cases of malaria, 71 of dengue, 6 of chikungunya, 24 of leptospirosis, and 620 of gastroenteritis. Comparatively, during the January–May 2024 period, there were 1,612 malaria cases, which rose to 1,973 in 2025. Dengue cases rose from 338 last year to 347 in the same period this year. Concerned over the spike in infections, the BMC conducted a massive survey of 6,39,430 households, covering over 30.5 lakh people during June 1-21. The BMC collected 1,02,243 blood samples, and 62,484 suspected leptospirosis cases were reported. The BMC also organised 37 medical camps and conducted surveys at 5,108 locations.”

The release further stated that to combat gastroenteritis, 21,429 ORS tablets were distributed, and 11,086 chlorine tablets were provided for water purification. In the same period, 17,082 buildings were inspected for malaria control. Fogging was carried out around 35,911 buildings and in 5,58,261 hutment areas.

But since the number of patients continues to rise despite these efforts, Minister Shelar has instructed the officials to scale up all control measures by 25 per cent in the coming weeks.

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