Insects from FCI godowns infest housing societies on KP Lane 5

Pests have entered homes even on upper floors of high-rises in the neighbourhood; locals want PMC to intervene

Already trapped indoors, with restrictions on outdoor movement, residents of Koregaon Park’s Lane 5, suddenly find themselves faced with a new menace for the past two days. Small flying insects (no, not the locust Delhi is battling) are swarming their homes, not sparing even the apartments in the high-rise buildings and they’ve traced the source to the warehouses of Food Corporation of India (FCI) in their neighbourhood.

The residents have now approached the Dhole Patil Road ward office, demanding action against FCI officials in charge of the warehouses, for failing to contain the spread of insects before the monsoon. The locals found that these insects are mostly flour beetles and maize weevil, species of beetle. They are perplexed by how high the insects have flown to infest homes perched on higher floors. They say, the insects are turning into a hazard for toddlers and senior citizens. The societies that have been worst hit by the infestation are Lapis Lazuli Apartment, Trinity Towers and Darode Mala among others.

“The insects are all around us. They are multiplying and flying everywhere. We’ve no idea how they are coming in. Our whole society is infested and we’ve urged the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to run a check on the government warehouses nearby. It appears FCI has failed to act in time to quell their proliferation during the monsoon. We’re forced to throw away our groceries for fear of contamination. They are also crawling on our bodies, which is an added irritation,” said Aradhana Chudasama, a managing committee member at Lapis Lazuli Apartment.

Echoing her, Vijaya A, who lives in a bungalow in the neighbourhood, pointed out, “Even the Darode Mala property close to the warehouses is swarming with these insects. It appears FCI slipped up on their usual fumigation due to the lockdown. If we open our doors or windows the insects gain entry into our houses.”


Dhiaryasheel Vandekar, who is a resident of Fragrancia, said, “We approached FCI on the issue and the officials have agreed to carry out an inspection and do the necessary pest control to address the problem. The daily change in weather may have triggered a sudden spike in the number of insects.”

But Salil Nashte, who lives in Ragvilas Society, is not impressed. “Why wait for the situation to take such a serious turn, that too at a time we’re already battling a pandemic. The authorities should have acted more responsibly. FCI’s failure to maintain its assets has not only made for a health hazard but also loss of precious foodgrain stored in its premises,” he underscored.

Responding to the complaint, Dayanand Sonkamble, assistant commissioner stationed at PMC’s Dhole Patil Road ward office, noted, “Such insects are usually engendered by humidity in the atmosphere. We’re sending our team of health inspectors and entomologists to assess the gravity of the situation. The exact cause will be ascertained and the concerned department will be tasked with resolving the situation.”

However, all efforts to reach Vinay Kumar, the divisional manager of FCI, proved futile, while the manager of the central government body’s South Main Road office said that he was away in Baramati on official duty.