THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major move to curb the dumping of waste in public places, the local self-government department (LSGD) is set to hike the reward for reporting violations to 25% of the total fine imposed. The decision was taken following the reporting of a recent violation by singer M G Sreekumar. The musician had to cough up a Rs 25,000 fine for dumping waste in the Kochi backwaters.
Currently, LSGD offers a maximum reward of Rs 2,500 for reporting waste dumping and other violations. LSGD Minister M B Rajesh said the department is seriously considering raising the reward amount so that the informant will receive 25% of the fine imposed.
“If a violator is fined Rs 50,000, the informer will receive a reward of Rs 12,500,” the minister told TNIE.
In an effort to strengthen enforcement, the state government has revised the fine amount by amending the Kerala Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Ordinance and the Kerala Municipality (Amendment) Ordinance 2023 as part of the ‘Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam’ campaign, which aims at making the state garbage-free by March 30, 2026.
As per the amendment, a spot fine of up to Rs 5,000 can be imposed for littering in public or private places and violation of waste management rules can lead to a maximum fine of Rs 50,000 and up to one year imprisonment.
6,458 complaints received
The response to the WhatsApp number -- 9446700800 -- introduced by the department has been overwhelming, the minister said. Individuals can report dumping of waste and pollution of waterbodies by providing evidence in the form of photos or videos of the violation, along with details including location and time of the offence.
Since its launch, the WhatsApp number has received around 6,458 complaints relating to violations, with around Rs 33,875 issued as reward. The most number of complaints were from Thiruvananthapuram (1,088) and Ernakulam (1,025) districts. These were followed by Malappuram (605), Kollam (588), and Kozhikode (579).