The Hindu 12.01.2012
Meet highlights urgent need to tackle garbage menace
S. Gopinath, Inspector General of Police (Thrissur Range), addressing an
awareness programme on waste management.— Photo: K.K. Najeeb
A comprehensive solution has eluded the policy makers
despite the city generating an appalling increase in waste, an awareness
programme on waste management observed.
Addressing
the function, S. Gopinath, Inspector General of Police (Thrissur Range),
said poor civic sense was the major reason for the situation. “Those
who keep their home spic and span never mind throwing garbage at every
street corner. Our sense of cleanliness ends at the entrance to the
road,” he said. Operation Sweep, the ambitious project of the Kerala
Police to turn public places litter-free, would not be a success without
the community participation, he said. The police would take stringent
action against those who dispose of garbage in public places.
The
police have launched ‘Operation Sweep’ following a judgement by the
High Court (WP (c) No. 27052/11) against throwing solid waste in public
places. Those who pollute environment with plastic would be booked under
Sections 268 read with sections 269 and 278 of the Indian Penal Code
and 120 (e) of the Kerala Police Act. Management of solid waste was a
great challenge in urban areas in the midst of fast-paced development,
said C. S. Sreenivasan, Standing Committee Chairman (Health) of Thrissur
Corporation. Only a decentralised system of waste management with
effective ban on plastic carry bags could significantly reduce the
problem, he said. The city corporations initiative to ban plastic was
well-received by the public. It showed that the public was keen to
tackle the menace, he said.
Mr. Sreenivasan said the
Corporation was confident the situation would improve once the
decentralised waste management project started functioning. “The civic
body is working towards streamlining the waste collection and source
segregation process. The accumulated garbage at Lalur dumpyard will be
removed soon. We plan to use the garbage removed from Lalur for
land-filling at abandoned quarries.”