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Now, you will be fined for littering

Tuesday, 28 January 2014 06:55 administrator
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The Hindu              28.01.2014 

Now, you will be fined for littering

The HDMC has put up boards in each ward in Hubli, displaying information about the cleaning contractor and the penalty for littering.
The HDMC has put up boards in each ward in Hubli, displaying information about the cleaning contractor and the penalty for littering.

Residents disposing waste in public places will have to cough up a fine from now onwards.

The Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) has fixed a fine on littering and will be taking steps to implement the decision soon. The HDMC’s action follows an amendment to the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, that enables the imposition of a fine on those violating the law on solid waste disposal, and is in accordance with the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Law, 2000.

The HDMC recently initiated weekly cleaning drives with the objective of keeping the city clean. As part of the initiative, the corporation installed information boards in designated places in all the wards, containing information on the cleaning contractor and contact numbers in case of complaints. Fines for different offences is as follows:

Under the law, littering/throwing of waste, spitting, urinating or defecating on roads, bus stations, railway stations, playgrounds, parks and other public places will attract a fine of Rs. 100 for the first and second time and Rs. 200 subsequently.

The public will have to pay a fine for failing to segregate dry and wet waste. For first and second-time offences, households will have to pay Rs. 100 and Rs. 500 afterwards. For commercial complexes and establishments generating waste in large quantities, the fine for the first two times is Rs. 500 and for subsequent offences it is Rs. 1,000.

Lack of cleanliness and hygiene in public places will attract a fine of Rs. 100 for the first two times and Rs. 200 subsequently.

Failure to segregate park waste, biodegradable and non biodegradable waste, bio-medical waste and other wastes will attract a fine of Rs. 500 initially and Rs. 1,000 for subsequent offences.

Collection of effluents and solid waste in an unorganised manner will attract Rs. 100 initially and Rs. 200 subsequently. A similar fine will be imposed for discharging effluents on the road and for storing carcasses and effluents. Under the law, the haphazard disposal of construction debris will be penalised with a fine of Rs. 1,000 for the first two times and Rs. 5,000 subsequently.

Helpline

HDMC Special Officer S.H. Naregal said that while steps will be taken to effectively implement the law, a helpline (0836-2213888, 2213898) has been set up to allow the public to register complaints about violations in solid waste disposal.

 

VMC begins work on sewage pumping station at Sardarbaug, Alkapuri

Tuesday, 28 January 2014 00:00 administrator
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The Times of India          28.01.2014

VMC begins work on sewage pumping station at Sardarbaug, Alkapuri

VADODARA: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) kicked off work on a sewage pumping station (SPS) near the Sardarbaug swimming pool in the Vadiwadi area adjoining Alkapuri. The project is coming up at a cost of Rs 1.96 crore.

The SPS had become necessary in wake of the accumulation of sewage water in a depression near the swimming pool. Some water from this also seeped into the swimming pool and users had raised the issue with the VMC recently.

VMC officials said that the new swimming pool will ensure that the problem is taken care of. The project will also ensure that the load on the sewage line from the Genda Circle to the BPC Road via Alkapuri is reduced.

The depression filled with sewage water had also raked up a row recently when a school located near it asked its students to wear clothes that cover their hands and legs in wake of mosquito menace. The opposition Congress in the VMC had come down heavily on the VMC after this suggestion by the school to its students. 

 

Now, PCMC tax defaulters to face music

Monday, 27 January 2014 00:00 administrator
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The Times of India          27.01.2014 

Now, PCMC tax defaulters to face music

After Pune, it is now the turn of the property tax defaulters in Pimpri Chinchwad to face the music, literally. The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation will start sending brass bands to play music in front of the defaulters’ houses from January 27 onwards till March 31.

The Pune Municipal Corporation tried the “music therapy” and recovered property tax arrears worth Rs 72 crore in four months - September to December - last year. The PMC has decided to continue with the services of the brass bands in the new financial year.

Bhanudas Gaikwad, assistant commissioner and chief of property tax department, PCMC, said, “We need to recover arrears worth Rs 250 crore. The department has hired 10 brass band teams to play music in front of properties whose owners have not cleared the arrears. The move is to embarrass them so that they pay the property tax at the earliest.”

Gaikwad said the department had sent bills to property owners within the municipal limits last year. People who failed to pay their dues by December 31 are being considered as defaulters. There are 3.8 lakh properties registered with the department out of which owners of 2.25 lakh properties have paid their bills. Arrears amounting to Rs 250.97 crore are outstanding till date.

“The department has divided the municipal limits into 15 divisions. Two contractors have been assigned to provide five bands each. One of them has been told to play music in eight divisions, while the other contractor will cover the remaining seven divisions. Each team will have three musicians. The total expenditure on hiring the bands is Rs 8.5 lakh,” Gaikwad said.

The contractors have been told to play music in five zones - Thergaon, Bhosari, Sangvi, Chikhli and Chinchwad - on all days as they have the largest number of properties.

Gaikwad said the contractors will be given a list of properties at the allotted zonal offices at 10 am every day. Two to three employees of the department from every division will accompany the musicians of each team. He said that the department has hired around 10 vehicles for the band teams.

However, the idea of playing music in front of defaulters’ properties has not gone down well with civic activists in Pimpri Chinchwad. Manav Kamble of Nagari Hakka Suraksha Samiti has written a letter to the municipal commissioner stating that it is unconstitutional on part of the civic body to shame people in such a way and force them to pay property tax arrears. He demanded that the civic body must not make use of brass bands for the purpose.

However, Gaikwad said, “The Pune Municipal Corporation is using the brass bands for the same purpose and has recovered a large amount of arrears from defaulters. We are also doing the same. There is nothing unconstitutional about it.

 
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