Bengaluru: Having tried various ways to prevent people from dumping garbage in the open in the city and failed, the BBMP now plans to post retired army personnel, who will be known as “Clean-Up Marshals,” from January next year to keep a watch on public places and penalise those dumping garbage in them.
The decision was taken at a recent meeting of the Mayor, BBMP Commissioner, corporators and officials. The marshals posted at prominent places and in areas where garbage dumping is rampant, will be authorised to not only penalise the offenders, but also file a criminal case against them.
A senior officer of the BBMP’s Solid Waste Management department says the plan is to recruit the retired army personnel by January 2019. “They will be given a salary, uniform and fuel and their mobile phone bills will be paid. Once they are recruited they will be trained on how to tackle the public and deal with the situation. In the first phase around 250 will be recruited and their numbers will be gradually increased,” he reveals.
Posted in the 198 wards across the city, the marshals will be on duty from 5 am to 1 am, patrolling their given areas, and keeping a watch near bus stops, parks, storm water drains, vacant sites and playgrounds. For a first offence, they will fine people Rs 100 and for the second, Rs 200. If anyone tries to misbehave with them, the marshals can with the help of the BBMP lodge a police complaint, according to the officer. The civic agency plans to soon submit a detailed project report to the government on the scheme. “We have informed the government about the plan verbally and it is okay with it , but has asked for the details. We are planning to introduce the new system in January 2019 and expect it to cost around Rs 80 crore. The role and functions of the marshals is also being finalised,” another officer of the department explains, adding that with the garbage crisis getting out of hand, it is time for the people to be educated about the effects of dumping rubbish in public places.
