Litter cops concept still awaiting approval

Litter cops concept still awaiting approval


Faiza Haneef
First Published : 26 Dec 2008 04:21:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 26 Dec 2008 09:33:39 AM IST

BANGALORE: The idea of appointing retired army personnel to fine those throwing garbage, urinating, or spitting in public, initially sounded good, but the project, sent for government approval, has reportedly not moved an inch.

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which has proposed the project and set apart Rs 30 lakh for it in the recent budget, had sent it for government approval over eight months ago and is still awaiting a response.

And the BBMP officials are clueless on the status of the project.

Besides, the short shrift given by the BBMP for the project, the packing up of Major B N Nandu Kumar, who mooted the idea, and a team of 60 Territorial Army members to Kashmir, is said to be the reason behind the delay.

The Territorial Army team, who were all set to watch over the offenders littering in pubic places, have been moved out of the city with their leader, and are expected to be away for the next two years.

That clearly means the litter cop concept will not take off in the near future.

“If the government had approved the project immediately, it would have been launched in February itself,” said a senior BBMP health official.

“The idea of setting up the force was basically to prevent people from indiscriminately littering in public and not to have to impose fines on them.

There was widespread publicity for the project and much more was promised in the form of campaigning just before the launch. But all this will not happen soon,” said another BBMP official.

M G Road, Kempegowda Road, Cubbon Road, Cunningham Road and Commercial Street were among the roads identified for the project where the cops in special uniforms had to go on rounds assisted by the BBMP officers.

Educating and motivating people to use bins and stop littering in public was the first priority.

The project Urinating in public, throwing garbage around, spitting and allowing pets to mess on the roads is an offence and the fine is expected to range from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000.

The provision for penalty and several other issues had to be discussed with the Palike officials.

Dustbins were to be kept every 15 metres so that people don’t dump trash on the streets. Public toilets were expected to be in place before the implementation of the project. Orientation programmes for the litter cops and suggestions from the public were to have been sought before the launch.