If you feel like littering or spitting in Mysore or any other tier II
city in Karnataka, hang on till you reach Bangalore. The fine in tier
II cities is set to be Rs 500, against a mere Rs 100 in Bangalore.

To
ensure cleanliness in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the state, the
Department of Municipal Administration (DMA) has proposed stringent
penalty clauses. “We have prepared draft rules and sent them to the
state government for approval. In the draft bylaw, we have covered all
aspects of waste management and keeping cities clean. Our penalty clause
is very stringent,” a senior officer in the DMA told ‘Express’.

The
DMA covers all cities other than Bangalore. It has proposed a Rs 500
fine for a first-time littering/spitting offence  and double of it for
subsequent offences. For not segregating biomedical waste, the fine is
Rs 1,000 for first-timers.

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike
(BBMP), however, is less stringent in its fines.  Besides a mere Rs100
for littering, spitting or urinating, non-segregation of biomedical
waste in Bangalore will have a fine of Rs 500, half of the penalty in
other ULBs. These are also pending the state government’s approval.

Urban
local bodies across the state have learnt lessons from the BBMP’s
mismanagement of garbage. Of the 213 ULBs  (excluding BBMP) in the
state, 106 are taking initiatives to enforce waste segregation at
source. Solid waste management systems at these ULBs are in different
stages. Most of them are in the process of identifying landfills, while
some have even kept the basic infrastructure ready. Some of the ULBs
have also made facilities to dispose of sanitary waste.

The DMA
official said door-to-door collection of waste is carried out in some of
the wards in some ULBs and segregation has been enforced partially. “It
will take some time to enforce it more effectively,” he admitted. Along
with such physical infrastructure, the department is also keen to bring
in separate solid waste management bye-laws for ULBs, he added.

In
2012, solid waste management had snowballed into a major crisis in
Bangalore  after villagers protested against dumping of waste at
landfills near their villages. The BBMP took many steps, including
making it mandatory for residents to segregate waste at source.

In
October 2012, a notification was issued after cabinet approval. In
March 2013, a penalty clause for non-segregation was included and the
same is likely to be enforced after completing necessary administrative
formalities. The BBMP plans to enforce it effectively after dry waste
collection centres are ready in all wards.