Mangaluru
Individuals who carelessly discard waste in public places in Neermarga, will soon face consequences enforced by the local authority. Gram panchayats in the district have initiated a new campaign aimed at identifying those who litter in public areas.
A task force, comprising officials and elected representatives within the gram panchayat, has started operations to inspect waste heaps for identifying information such as names or addresses found on courier/post covers, bills, or any other documents.
Once an address is identified, officials visit the houses of the violator to impose a fine. On the first day of the initiative, the Neermarga gram panchayat managed to uncover details of nine individuals who had disposed of plastic bags filled with waste in public spaces within the village. S Abbubakar, Panchayat Development Officer, told that despite the gram panchayat’s regular door-to-door waste collection efforts, people continue to litter in public spaces.
We have a task force dedicated to maintaining cleanliness in the gram panchayat limits. We have a system of door-to-door waste collection, covering all 1,500 houses. Our staff regularly collect segregated waste, both wet and dry, from each household. However, many residents still dispose of their waste while traveling in vehicles, leading to the creation of garbage black spots. Despite installing CCTV cameras at numerous locations, the problem persists as people continue to litter, turning public spaces into black spots. Therefore, we initiated this drive with support from the taluk panchayat and zilla panchayat, the officer said.
We have identified nine individuals and have fined each of them Rs 5,000. One individual has already settled the penalty, and we will proceed to collect fine from others. The drive will be an ongoing effort by the gram panchayat,  he added.Â
