Penalty for littering garbage on roads in Kolkata hiked 100 times

Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will increase the penalty for littering garbage on the streets of the city by 100 times in the near future.

A decision was made at the monthly conference of KMC on Saturday, informed the member (solid waste management) of KMC's Mayor-in-Council, Debabrata Majumdar on Sunday.

"Till now the fine for littering garbage on the road was Rs 50. Even the work of imposing financial penalties on the offenders was not implemented properly. This had led to some kind of reluctance among a section of the citizens to follow garbage-discipline on this count. Despite the KMC installing garbage-drums in close proximity throughout the city, a section of citizens are still littering garbage on the streets. So, it has been decided to increase the present penalty rate of just Rs 50 to Rs 5,000 and from now onwards our team will be strict in implementing that," Majumdar said on Sunday.

The proposal has been approved by the KMC Mayor Firhad Hakim.

It is learnt that in the monthly conference Hakim observed that the tendency among a section of the people residing in flats in housing complexes or high-rises to throw garbage on the streets from their balconies was still rampant in certain pockets of the city.

He also observed that all efforts of the corporation to keep the city clean were going fruitless unless the citizens are aware of their responsibilities on this count.

According to Majumdar, probably the current penalty amount of just Rs 50 was too small an amount to inflict fear among the citizens.

"Now the penalty amount being hiked 100 times, a fear will be inflicted among the erring citizens and they will refrain from littering garbage on the streets," he said.

IANS with minor edits