The Hindu              08.08.2013

Now, a price to pay for littering roads: Corpn.

The Chennai Corporation, in several wards, has begun fining residents who litter roads. Officials have also issued notices to residents and shopkeepers who pollute neighbourhoods habitually.

“I collected Rs. 500 each from residents who threw garbage on the road. Some residents and shopkeepers opposed the move,” said a conservancy inspector in Shenoy Nagar. Junior engineers of wards have also been directed to collect a fine of Rs. 2,000 from residents who dump debris on roads.

Jeyam (name changed on request), who collects garbage from households on a tricycle and deposits them in the common bin, said, while imposing fines is a good move, it is not always easy to track offenders. “Sometimes, people dump trash near the common bin and it is hard to trace it back. But, I collect trash from residential streets and once you build a rapport, most residents are very co-operative,” he said.