Littering: BBMP nets Rs 10 lakh in fines over two months

Bangalore: In its drive against public nuisance caused by littering, the BBMP has over a period of two months collected close to Rs 10.4 lakh penalty under the provisions of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Rules 2012.

BBMP Joint Commissioner (Health and solid waste management) K. C. Yatish Kumar said on the spot penalty is being levied and receipts are issued, on the same lines as traffic violations. As per the new MSW rules, BBMP engineers are empowered by law to penalise those causing public nuisance such as spitting, urinating and littering in public.

Yatish Kumar said as of now bulk generators and garbage contractors are the main focus. Individual violators will be fine in the days to come. The BBMP is also empowered to levy penalty against households for failing to segregate waste, he added.

The Palike needs dedicated environment engineers and they should be assigned with specific tasks. Each ward must have assistant engineers and each zone must have executive engineers, reporting to joint commissioner on the status, he said.

However, sources said that for a city like Bengaluru, which has nearly one crore population, the enforcement of MSW rules is poor. They point out that the total fine collected for littering in last two months compares poorly with fines collected for traffic violations.

BBMP authorities should be equipped with gadgets such as BlackBerry and cameras to nab and penalise violators with evidence.

Installing CCTV cameras in commercial areas will help zeroing in on bulk offenders and thereby prevent indiscriminate dumping of garbage. CCTV cameras near lakes will also help prevent littering, sources added.