Waste may burn a hole in your pocket

MCC to amend bylaw; bulk waste to be streamlined for better

Henceforth if you litter waste in public places, you may have to feel the pinch on your pocket.

Mysore City Corporation (MCC) has decided to amend the existing bylaw to impose penalty on the guilty coming in the way of management of solid waste.

Sources told Deccan Herald, the bylaw that dates back to Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act 1976 lacks bone in the form of measly penalty.

Leave alone penalising the offender, it hardly sends a strong message to check the recurrence of such incidents. Moreover, the procedure to be followed is lengthy.

Three notices have to be served on the person and eventually the case has to be referred to court before imposing the fine. Minimum of Rs 25 and maximum of Rs 50 is being levied.

Now, to make things easy, the civic body is out to amend the bylaw. If it happens, the guilty will have to mandatorily pay the fine amount in the range of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. It will be 10 to 20 times more than the existing amount.

The draft is ready and is likely to come up before business advisory council (BAC) before presenting the subject before the council, the body vested with powers to approve the laws.

Other waste

Apart from this, the local body is mulling over streamlining the bulk waste generated from educational institutions, commercial complexes, hotels, marriage halls among others. Sources said, in the present set up most of the bulk waste is illegally dumped either in drains or dust bins making it difficult to unload.  Top guns at city corporation recently held a meeting with the representatives of hotels and marriage halls to convey the message. Most of the bulk waste generated here is left over food and  plantain leaves. 

If MCC is able to collect the same and divert it to the cattle at Pinjrapole it may ease the burden involved in the management of solid waste. In a similar method MCC is already diverting five tonnes of vegetable waste per day, collected from Devaraja, Vani Vilas and Mandi markets in the city to Pinjrapole. Similarly, chicken and mutton waste is diverted to MCC owned waste management unit in Old Kesare.

Said an officer involved in the task; it takes 50 days for the food waste to rot. If the afore mentioned plan is incorporated it would help produce energy in the form of cow dungs. The city generates 400 tonnes of waste per day. However, the unaccounted bulk waste especially from that of hotels is at least 25 tonnes per day. If streamlined it would be a model to others in the realm in maintaining the hygiene of the city.