MCC Council approves move amidst din; CCTV cameras at dumping spots
Mysore/Mysuru: Amidst the din and chaos that prevailed over issues concerning installation of mobile signal antenna booster poles and election to the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Standing Committee heads at the MCC Council meeting yesterday, the Council approved penal action on those who litter in public, especially on road sides.
Littering is a common occurrence and one may even refer to it as chronic. People can’t help but litter everywhere, be it roads, railway tracks, floors, water bodies etc. Though initiatives like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan attempted to make people more responsible towards their surroundings and make them take charge of the cleanliness around them, the menace has not been controlled.
Penal action of imposing hefty fines from Jan. 1, 2023 is in the hope that it will become a part of a larger system with social checks on littering. As per the MCC proposal, fines will be imposed on residents, hostels, educational institutions, malls, Government and private offices, choultries, exhibition organisers, hoteliers, industrialists and none will be spared.
Penalties will also be levied if the waste is not segregated, if the waste is discharged indiscriminately, if waste and plastic is burnt and even if the e-waste including electronic items ar burnt or carelessly discarded.
The rules will come into effect from New Year and before that, the MCC is planning to install CCTV cameras at all dumping spots and also rectify the cameras that are in a non-working condition, Mayor Shivakumar told Star of Mysore this morning.
“Dumping of garbage would be recorded by CCTV cameras installed across the city. The violators will be identified and imposed fines. We’ll first issue notices to violators and if they still don’t mend their ways, fines will be imposed on them (see table). Strict action will also be taken against those who dump medical waste on streets,” Shivakumar said.
The MCC will follow the Varanasi model where the local Municipal Corporation has swung into action and announced penalties for dumping waste on streets. As part of its plan to stop littering on streets, the Varanasi Municipal Corporation has announced that those found guilty of dumping garbage on the streets will be slapped with hefty fines, the Mayor added.
Other proposals passed by MCC Council
Approval for giving Rs. 3.31 crore for preparation of action plans on community programmes, out of the SFC grants under 24.10% plan (2021-22).
Sanction of financial assistance to family members for conduct of last rites in case of death of municipal cadre staff while in service, ranging from a minimum of Rs. 5,000 to a maximum of Rs.15,000, depending upon the case. Earlier, the maximum was Rs. 7,500. Penalising Rs. 10,000 under Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1981 those who erect unauthorised hoardings, flex boards etc., in city limits.
This post was published on December 9, 2022 6:45 pm