Rs. 4.34 lakh collection from Apr. 1 to July 18 too little; MCC asked to levy hefty fines

Mysuru: Mysuru Regional Commissioner and Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Administrator Nitesh Patil has directed officials to step up enforcement against indiscriminate garbage dumping, saying the penalties imposed so far are too few to deter offenders.

Reviewing the performance of the Health Department, Patil observed that people continue to dump waste on roads and public places despite repeated awareness campaigns and warnings.

He noted that Chamaraja MLA G.T. Devegowda had also expressed concern over the weak enforcement of penalties. “If thousands of people are violating the rules, penalising only 10 to 20 offenders will have little impact,” Patil said, calling for stricter implementation of the rules.

Assistant Executive Engineer Mrutyunjaya informed the meeting that the MCC had collected Rs. 4.34 lakh in fines between Apr. 1 and July 18 of the current financial year. Patil described the amount as very low and directed officials to intensify enforcement against violators.

The Administrator also reviewed the city’s progress under the ongoing Swachh Survekshan, which began in the last week of June.

He said the survey will assess Mysuru across 12,500 locations, of which inspections have already been completed at 10,500 points. The remaining 2,000 locations include public toilets and other key sanitation parameters.

To improve cleanliness, MCC has deployed three shifts of sanitation workers along D. Devaraj Urs Road. Similar cleaning operations are planned within a 2.5-km radius of Mysore Palace, besides Krishnaraja Boulevard and Chamaraja Double Road. Patil also reviewed the  progress of the Revenue Department.