A vendor sells foldable mosquito nets near Karamtoli in Ranchi on Tuesday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

As Ranchi braces for vector trouble, trendy mosquito nets of sundry shapes and sizes are showing up in street corners, along with exterminating machines that have also flooded the market.

Ram Mohan, a roadside vendor who travels round the year selling the nets, says this time, he has various shapes on offer: oval, tent-shaped or semi-circular. And with the mosquito menace slowly but steadily on the rise, no wonder the man from Bihar is doing brisk business near Raj Bhavan.

“We get these nets from Delhi, Haryana and its nearby areas. The nets are of many shapes and sizes to suit everyone’s needs. For example, I have a small oval tent-shaped net for children and ones meant for single or double beds for adults, ” said Mohan, who came to Ranchi from Delhi last month.

Prices of the nets start from Rs 400 and go up to 1,000 and 1,200.

Another vendor on Radium Road, who has been coming here for the last three summers, maintained the demand in Ranchi was very high.

“On an average, I sell three to four nets a day, which is pretty good. As the temperature will rise, sale will go further up. Waise bhi Ranchi mein saalon bhar machchar rahte hain. (Also, the city is plagued by mosquitoes round the year),” he quipped.

In the last few weeks, Ranchiites are complaining of the mosquito menace, be it in low-lying areas like Kantatoli, Hindpiri and Karbala Chowk or posh localities such as Kanke and Morabadi.

The Ranchi Municipal Corporation is yet to carry out fogging. Its partner agency A2Z claims to be regularly cleaning up public places but residents are not content.

“The cleaning exercise is no more than what meets the eye. It has to be more intense and regular. I still find garbage littered all around and overflowing drains in various spots of the city, which naturally turn into breeding grounds for mosquitoes,” rued Rajni Singh, a homemaker.

She added during summers, the threat of vector-borne diseases was greater as people are dressed in comfy clothes that leave the skin exposed.

Having bought two designer nets on Sunday, she is quick to explain its benefits.

“Just fold it, pack it and take wherever you want. Unlike conventional nets, they need not be hooked to walls or bedposts and are easy to use,” she said.

Besides nets, meshes for windows and racket-shaped electric mosquito killers too are in demand.

“Coils have side-effects, as they emit harmful smoke. My son is allergic to it. We already have to endure power cuts. Generally, we sleep on the terrace during summer. So, I bought the trendy mosquito nets after spotting them recently. We can carry them anywhere,” said R.N. Singh, a resident of Bariatu.