Officials from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will soon come knocking on your doors along with penalty receipts on the following day if Bangaloreans dispose of waste without segregation, the New Indian Express reports.
The city’s administrative body will begin the initiative in all 198 wards from the next week to ensure mandatory waste segregation, as BBMP believes not segregating waste equals to littering. The BBMP has set fines ranging between Rs 500 and Rs 25,000.
Previously, BBMP failed in its attempts to collect fines as there was lack of clarity in fine amounts for criteria of offence. Earlier, BBMP, with the help of retired marshalls, conducted operations at night and collected Rs 16 lakh as fine.
According to the new rules, the fine for littering, spitting and urinating in public as well as failure to segregate dry waste are Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 for first and second time respectively. Inability to separate garden waste will attract a fine of Rs 2,500 for the first time and Rs 5,000 for the second time. Dumping of building waste material will see a penalty of Rs 5,000 and Rs 25,000 for the first and second time respectively.
BBMP commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said, “We had sent the new draft to the government on revised penalty amount for various violations in SWM committed by public and bulk generators. The draft has been approved, and we will impose heavy fines on people who do not segregate waste.”
D Randeep, Additional Commissioner, Solid Waste Management, BBMP, says that the BBMP cannot ensure effective waste management if wet and dry waste are not segregated at source. He adds, “Collection tipper crew and pourakarmikas will report to the area health inspectors, who will impose the fines.”