Segregate the garbage you generate, or get set to pay fine. Penalty awaits also those who litter, spit or urinate in public spaces. Habitual offenders might even end up in prison.
The State government has proposed to impose fine on households failing to segregate solid waste in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits and other city corporations in the State.
Bill tabled
The government on Thursday tabled the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2013, which also imposes penalty for littering, spitting, urinating, open defecation and committing other acts of nuisance on road, bus station, railway station, street, playground, park, and other premises of public utility.
The penalty
For the first offence of littering, spitting, urinating, open defecation and other acts, the Bill proposes to impose penalty of Rs. 100 and Rs. 200 for the second and subsequent offence.
The Bill envisages imposing penalty on households for their failure to segregate dry waste from wet waste before handing it over to the collector. Penalty ranges from Rs. 100 for the first offence to Rs. 5,000 for the second and subsequent offence. Any person who commits the offence for the fifth time would face imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months or be fined Rs. 1,000 or both, the Bill said.
Solid waste
The Bill stated that the solid waste generated by the city corporations in the State, especially in BBMP, was very high.
“Solid waste has to be disposed of systematically in a scientific manner and as per the guidelines prescribed in Solid Wastes (Handling and Management) Rules, 2000 by the Central government,” it said.
Disposing of waste
Recently, several public interest litigation petitions were filed in the High Court of Karnataka complaining that the solid waste generated in the BBMP areas are not disposed of scientifically and as per the rules made by the Central government and praying for a direction to State government and the BBMP, and these cases are being heard by the court even now.
The court on September 10, 2012, gave directions for imposing fines on households that failed to segregate dry and wet garbage.
