The government is ready with a draft bill to curb littering, Minister for Industries and Urban Affairs P.K. Kunhalikutty told the Assembly on Monday.
Responding to a calling attention motion from A.P. Abdullakutty (Congress), Mr. Kunhalikutty said the government was ready to introduce the Bill in the ongoing session of the House, but had decided to defer it as the Bill could not be circulated sufficiently early. It might consider issuing an ordinance to give effect to the Bill's provisions, he said.
Terming the situation ‘explosive,' Mr. Kunhalikutty said the State could no longer close its eyes to the garbage disposal challenge. The practice of urban waste being dumped in neighbouring villages could not go on for ever, and already there was strong resistance to the practice across the State. Money was not an obstacle for curbing the menace as funds sanctioned by World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and other such agencies remained unutilised.
Earlier, Mr. Abdullakutty urged the government to introduce a cess on garbage so that there would be greater compliance with the disposal norms set by the government and local self-government institutions.
The Minister said that while deterrence was called for, he would not commit to the proposal. Money was not the issue. One of the major problems confronting the State was that most of the Central schemes did not suit the State. Resistance from the ground was also a major headache, Mr. Kunhalikutty pointed out.
