Expect some respite from mosquito sting this summer. If all goes well, the civic body would buy nine fogging machines shortly.

Funds would be earmarked for purchasing the gadgets in the civic budget for the next financial year, to be tabled on Friday. At present, Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has just one fogging machine.

Mayor Afzal Imam told The Telegraph on Thursday: “We would allocate funds for purchasing several fogging machines in the upcoming budget under the head of equipment procurement. We intend to buy them in the next couple of weeks so that we can give residents some respite from mosquitoes in the summer.”

A senior officer of the PMC told The Telegraph: “The cost of a vehicle-mounted fogging machine is Rs 20 lakh. Thus, an allocation of around Rs 2 crore would be made in the budget for procuring the nine fogging machines and other requisite material.”

At present, hardly any fumigation is done in the city.

The PMC recently received a complaint in this regard from 1 Aney Marg — the official residence of chief minister Nitish Kumar. Besides Aney Marg, Strand Road, Polo Road and their neighbourhoods are considered to be upscale areas because the governor and several other ministers stay in their vicinity. Even such areas are fumigated once in a while.

Elsewhere, fogging machines can be spotted in action once in several months. “The mosquito count has increased manifold in the past few months because of poor waste management. I hope the corporation would fulfil its promise on procuring new fogging machines,” said Sumit Kumar, a resident of Kankerbagh.

An elected representative of the civic body echoed Sumit. “Fumigation has not been done in my ward for over a year now because of acute shortage of fogging machines with the corporation,” said Balram Chaudhary, the councillor of ward number- 54.