Towards a greener, cleaner Lalbagh

Towards a greener, cleaner Lalbagh

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: Bangalore will soon be on a par with cities such as Singapore which are well-known for slapping fines on those who cannot be taught their manners at home.

In a “hasiru kattu” initiative which will start with Lalbagh, anybody who litters the garden premises after March 23 will have to cough up anywhere between Rs. 50 and Rs. 400.

And who will enforce this throughout the 240-odd acres of lush gardens and biodiversity? The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and Civil Defence wardens on Friday announced the programme which will start on March 16 with a walkathon from the Vidhana Soudha to Lalbagh and will be followed by a clean-up drive.
No-plastic zone

As many as 5,000 volunteers are slated to join from various corporates, non-governmental organisations, walkers’ organisations and government bodies.

“It will be a complete no-plastic zone. But before we impose these rules, we will give one month of counselling and our volunteers will work at awareness levels,” said Jija Harisingh, DGP, Bangalore.

The initiative, with the tagline “Lalbagh today, Bangalore tomorrow”, would also empower Homeguards and Civil Defence wardens to tackle littering, she said.

On sale of food items in plastic containers, she said all such stalls would either be removed or made to dispose of their plastic efficiently.