West Bengal government introduced penalties of ₹ 100 to ₹ 200 starting from Tuesday for spitting, defecating, dumping waste and dumping banned plastic carry bags on Kolkata roads and other cities and towns, state urban development minister Agnimitra Paul said.
The minister cited the example of Indore city in Madhya Pradesh, which has bene named as India’s cleanest city for eight consecutive years in the Swachh Survekshan rankings.
“We issued a notice earlier stating that starting from September 1 we would introduce penalties for spitting, defecating, dumping waste, and dumping single-use plastic carry bags below 125 microns,” Paul said.
There won’t be any dustbins in residential areas. “We will not keep any dustbins in residential areas as people would dump their waste there. Municipal waste collectors will collect the waste from doorsteps in separate bags for dry and wet waste . An app has been developed and installed on the mobile phones of persons authorised by the civic bodies who will collect penalties. “The authorised person will have to take a picture of the spot where the offence was committed. The name of the offender, his contact number, and the nature of the offence will be uploaded on the app. This will generate a QR code and the offender can pay the penalty digitally by scanning the QR Code. At present penalties will be collected only through online mode. Dustbins are being installed across civic body areas. Conservancy workers will be enforcing the ban on open defecation, littering and spitting in public places. We will also set up more public toilets and restrooms.
Earlier reporting noted: According to the notice by the UD&MA dept that was issued on June 22 this year, open defecation and urination in public places will attract a fine of Rs 200.
The minister said that the state government was setting up dustbins on the roads, urinals at regular intervals and bag vending machines in markets. Dustbins will only be available in markets, bus stands and near railway stations among others,” she said. The minister said that at least two authorised persons will be designated in every ward. The offender will get a receipt on his mobile phone,” said Naveen Kumar Chandra, director of the State Urban Development Agency (SUDA). Officials said that a SOP was being prepared to collect penalty in the offline mode too. We are starting the process to implement the ban from Tuesday,” state UD&MA department minister Agnimitra Paul told TOI.
Earlier reporting noted: The authorities including minister Agnimitra Paul have been campaigning for the last few months to generate public awareness on the matter. Earlier reporting noted: “It’s a continuous process and a lot of work is yet to be done.
