• Mysuru City Corporation reins in public waste disposal
• Litterbugs face penalties from Rs. 200 to Rs. 5,000
• Surveillance teams in all 65 Wards
• No more waste dumping wherever and whenever convenient

Mysore/Mysuru: In a novel and proactive measure, the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has initiated a crackdown on individuals disposing of waste illegally in the city, particularly during night time. Termed ‘Operation Night Raid’, this effort aims to curb the unauthorised dumping of waste on roadsides and vacant sites, imposing fines on violators.

Despite the presence of a structured waste collection system for households and commercial areas, there has been a notable increase in littering waste in public spaces, particularly after dusk. Many members of the public and vendors have been observed bringing sacks of waste and discarding them at will, posing a significant sanitation challenge for MCC.

Dr. N.P. Venkatesh, Senior Health Officer of MCC, emphasised that bulk waste generators such as fast food vendors, roadside vendors and hoteliers are required to hand over their waste to MCC’s garbage collection vehicles every morning. However, a substantial number of them have adopted unhealthy practice of disposing of waste wherever and whenever convenient.

Enforcing compliance

“To address this issue, Operation Night Raid was launched on June 29 and since then, penalties have been imposed on offenders,” Dr. Venkatesh stated. The initiative aims to deter such practices and enforce compliance with waste disposal regulations to maintain cleanliness and hygiene in the city.

Dr. Venkatesh explained that MCC has assigned one team comprising a Pourakarmika and a Supervisor to each of the 65 wards. These teams patrol their respective wards in dedicated vehicles during Operation Night Raid.

If individuals are caught disposing of waste illegally, the team notifies the Health Inspector, who then visits the site to impose fines on the offenders. However, Health Inspectors are not accompanying the night teams due to their morning duties.

Waste management challenges

Penalties ranging from Rs. 200 to several thousand rupees have been levied in numerous cases. Violators found dumping large quantities of waste, transported by autos and other vehicles, face fines of up to Rs. 5,000.

The collected waste is currently diverted to Zero Waste Units located at Kesare and Rayanakere in the outskirts, as dumping at the Sewage Farm in Vidyaranyapuram has been temporarily halted.

In response to escalating waste management challenges, MCC has intensified its efforts to uphold cleanliness across the city. This includes deploying four road-sweeping machines and operating over 330 auto tippers for daily household waste collection, alongside 16 vehicles dedicated to commercial areas.

Despite these efforts, the disposal of waste in public spaces remains pervasive, particularly along the Outer Ring Roads (ORR). This practice not only undermines scientific waste disposal practices but also poses a barrier to maintaining Mysuru’s ‘Clean City’ status under the Swachh Bharat Mission.