BBMP appoints marshals to check littering in public

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) which was asked to appoint retired army personnel to check littering in the city has now appointed 120-odd marshals in the first phase of the initiative.

The BBMP will be providing training for all the appointed marshals this week. The civic body is expected to deploy the marshals from the first week of September. As part of the first phase, the BBMP will deploy the marshals in East, West and South zones of the BBMP.

The BBMP had sent the proposal for the appointment of 240 marshals to rein in public littering in the city after which the government had approved the proposal in May this year. The civic body will be spending Rs 8.56 crore annually for the salary of the marshals.

“We have appointed about 120 marshals in the three zones of the BBMP. As part of the first phase there will be marshals in 120 wards of the city,” Karnataka Ex-servicemen Welfare Society (KEWS) chairman Colonel Rajbeer Singh said.

Currently, the BBMP is providing training for marshals on penalising the public caught while littering in public. The BBMP will amend the Karnataka Municipal Council (KMC) Act to give powers to marshals to penalise the public. The marshals will be provided GPS-enabled devices to issue penalty receipts on the spot.